Guilty as Charged
by Lefauxlucifer
Summary: Kid Flash *breaks* into Jinx's room and she decides to call him out on this unheroic action... The two engage in some crimes of the heart, leaving Jinx to wonder who truly is... Guilty as Charged... Flinx with hints of Rob/Star and BB/Rae in later chapters... It's more intriguing and less cringey than it sounds rn... Rated T for language (Jinx's fault)
1. Tempest

Disclaimer (yeah, it takes a while)

 _*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*_

Me: Hey, Raven…. You wanna whip up one of your spells so that I finally own the Teen Titans and you guys get a sixth season?

Raven: How did you get in here? It doesn't matter… Just get out!

Beast Boy: Yeah, the only one allowed in here is _me_ , got it, Buster?

Raven: Beast Boy… I wasn't just talking to him

Beast Boy: But you love me, mama… Don't you?

Raven: What did we say about calling me mama?

Beast Boy: That it was totally fine if you never found out?

Raven: Is anyone really that dense?

Me: Uh guys… Sorry to interrupt, but I'd kinda like ownership of the Teen Titans…? Please?

Beast Boy: I'm smart enough that you like-like me, aren't I? *makes teasing gestures at a somewhat-angry half-demon*

Raven: …

Beast Boy: I'm not wrong, am I? *begins triumphant victory dance*

Raven: All I wanted was you out of my room. Was that too much to ask?! *now visibly annoyed*

Me: Guys? Guys…? I still exist in this plane, right? You can see me?

Beast Boy: I'll get out of your room if you _kiss_ me, mama?

Raven: … Fine… But only because this book is too verbose and I find its plot unconvincing...

*they kiss*

Beast Boy: Actually, I wasn't paying attention… Wanna do a retake, mama?

Raven: *nods, now blushing*

Me: *takes a hint and leaves*

To briefly summarize, that's how my attempt at convincing Rae to give me the Teen Titans went… The Teen Titans still belong to DC Comics, Cartoon Network, Warner Bros, Glen Murakami + Co… Basically everyone but me, right?

This Flinx fic is mine, though… Unless Jinx decides to steal it in the time between Lightspeed and Titans Together?

* * *

 _Kid Flash_

 _*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*_

 _Where on Earth_ _ **is**_ _that alarm clock? Where in this planet is that God-forsaken alarm?_

I reach out, slamming every solid surface as quickly as I can, hoping that one of my hits lands on the incessant device.

But since I'm the fastest kid alive, _that_ doesn't take me more than a nanosecond. A sigh of relief escapes me, before I realize why I set my alarm clock so early. The shock causes me to tumble out of bed, covers and all.

"Ow," I yelp, as the pain sets in. It exists for a brief second before it subsides… Being a superhuman _does_ have its perks sometimes…

And then sometimes it doesn't…

You see, sometimes, as a superhero, you get to spend the day with your friends… Chasing villains, or tracing clues to figure out their devious plans….

And the times you aren't with your friends… You're solo, running around the world trying to find a sign, any sign, that it's going to be all right tomorrow, that you'll live to see sunrise… Because none of us are ever too sure…

Even in movies and TV shows, you can be sure that the villain _will_ escape, it's a given… But the hero might die if the writers are mean enough.

But I'd like to think that _no one_ writes my life… _No one_ controls my destiny… At least, that's what I used to think…

Except for the fact that I'm awake, on a Saturday morning, 6 AM, and I'm not even preparing to watch cartoons like a normal teenager…

No, _I'm_ planning to watch something much better this morning, but this _thing_ requires me to be up by, well, now…

After all, I have to shower, change, brush my teeth, and eat breakfast before 6.

Which should seem like no time at all for me, but I like my showers like Beast Boy likes his gaming sessions… Long, uninterrupted, and filled with relaxation.

Showers are the one time of day when time disappears out the window…

Well, showers and any time spent near a certain pink-haired self-proclaimed supervillainess. Einstein was right, an hour spent with a pretty girl feels like a minute…

But this isn't your normal, run-of-the-mill pretty… No, this is wow… This is the girl that no other compares to… Trust me on that one, I'm Kid Flash, if anyone knew pretty, it'd be me.

It's best she doesn't find out about my list of escapades with "pretty"…

She'd take down most of my exes easily… And then she'd take me out… Hopefully out on a date, but knowing her, that'd be far from it.

Love… It drives even someone with my dashing looks and charm to their knees…What other reason could there be for Wally West to wake up when the sun hasn't, go through his entire morning routine, and then try to enter H.I.V.E. tower before any of its inhabitants could be slightly conscious?

I pick out the 17th version of my uniform (yes, heros have multiple versions of their uniforms… It comes in handy if one gets destroyed or if I was too lazy and left one at Titans Tower or something), took off my nightwear (which was technically valid, seeing as how it _was_ night), and stepped into my restroom.

But you know how you always forget something when you go into the shower?

 _My phone is still charging…_

Imagine Kid Flash, running out of his bathroom wearing a light towel at a somewhat-normal speed, grabbing his cellular device, yanking off the charger, and rushing back in…

Now imagine the Brotherhood of Evil taking pictures and posting them on their InstaGram…

Thank God that didn't happen. I wish my mind didn't come up with the worst scenarios, but everyone's has a way of doing that, or so I'm told. I powered on my phone, and set it to a playlist of Taylor Swift songs, one of my guilty pleasures in life.

Robin once caught me singing in the shower… That went well for about five full seconds, before I emailed a copy of his vocal abilities to his teammates. When you're the fastest kid alive, it's not very difficult to get blackmail material… Not that I would ever use it unnecessarily, I just have these things as a safeguard. It'd be pretty unheroic to start blackmailing the Titans into doing whatever I wanted, right?

I turn the water on, and Starlight starts playing. As the first verse begins, she's the only thought in my mind, and this shower Is probably the shortest I've ever taken, and I'm almost impressed.

 _*sigh* If only she was impressed…_

I'm a speed demon, for crying out loud… What more can I possibly do to get you to like me? You know, you're impossible. Any other girl in the world would've fallen head over heels for me by now

 _But you aren't any other girl… Not even any other villain… You're different._

I guess that's part of why I want you more than any of them…

I put on a little of Uncle Barry's cologne (he says it works, and he's married to my aunt, so…). Then, I suit up, speed out of my room, and a hand catches my arm. I go faster, almost nearing lightspeed itself, but the hand doesn't let go. I break the light barrier, and come to a halt, somewhat-exhausted. The hand still hasn't let go. It's a familiar grip, just tight enough to keep ahold of me, but not enough to hinder my movement.

"Uncle Barry?" I ask, wincing.

"Out for a morning run, I see," he replies. He leans in closer. "Is that- is that my cologne? Or rather, _was_ that my cologne?"

I manage to nod, blood rushing to my cheeks.

"So this is about a girl, eh?"

If I had a mirror, I could've proved my face went as red as a ruby. By that, he discerns an affirmative. I glance away, expecting to be chided.

"Well, if _she_ manages to get you up this early, _she's_ definitely something different. Either that, or you gave up hope on sleeping, and that one's _way_ worse"

He had no idea how true both of those statements were, but I wasn't going to be the one to tell him _that_. I may not be an Einstein, but I'm witty enough to stay out of trouble… Too much trouble. The Flash lets go of my hand.

"Another rose was missing from my garden, Wally… Know anything about that?"

I gulped. "I may have- I mean- I could've- Yeah, I took a rose, Uncle Barry. I'll pay it back for it later, I promise… Just like all the others?"

 _God, now she's got me apologizing, something that's totally unlike me._

"She's even turned you into a master thief. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were dating a supervillainess or something"

 _Well, we aren't dating… Not yet, at least…_

I laugh awkwardly, before Uncle Barry loosens his grip and lets me go.

"Just be careful, kay? Sometimes, kid, you play with fire… And then you get burned"

 _I don't want to see what happens when you play with hexes, but I think I'll find out, one way or another…_

"Sir, yes, Sir," I say, giving my best army officer impression, complete with a salute, the whole nine yards.

"And Wally… Keep in mind that no one can sleep with Taylor Swift playing. The ventilation systems are connected, and your singing is… Better than Justin Bieber, but that ain't saying much, kay?"

I can feel a flush of crimson and I speed away as fast as humanly possible… As fast as the fastest boy alive can go. The real Flash thankfully grants me escape from additional embarrassment, and I pass, undetected through H.I.V.E. security systems.

 _Never thought I'd make it out of that one alive. But if I can survive the Flash, a few hexes shouldn't be too much trouble?_

Finally, I arrive at her room. No lights are on, and I see the faint outlines of writing that states "Jinx's room. Sudden death implied for all who enter (except me, duh!)"

 _Guess she's going to like me being here less than the last time… I wonder if she's still the unicorn-type?_

Either way, I vibrate cleanly through the door with no trouble at all. Guess all that practicing payed off…

Although I fumble through the room, tripping on remnants of what I think are cups, notebooks, and one Lego; stepping on it proved to be the highlight of this trip. It's a small miracle she's still asleep after my deafeningly painful journey through her quarters.

 _God, what do they make Legos out of? Death and the tears of small children? I swear, what if we just filled the Brotherhood of Evil's lair with legos? Wouldn't they just surrender immediately?_

 _I am pretty brilliant._

 _But still… Legos: 1, Kid Flash: 0_

Somehow, I find my way to the windowsill and sit in wait, but I get kinda hungry and I remember what I woke up for. I vibrate through the walls… If the dragon hasn't awoken yet, I think she'll sleep for a few more.

 _I wonder what'll happen if I call her a dragon? Would that make her happy since dragons inspire fear into the hearts of their enemies? Or would she hate me even more cuz dragons aren't exactly the epitome of ravishing beauty?_

 _As long as she's asleep… I might as well…_

I go out to a nearby coffee shop-her favorite coffee shop- and order a cup of coffee, put some cream and sugar in, then set it down and go back to order a cup of iced passionfruit tea. I take both cups and speed off to tour the world, picking up tacos from Columbia and a little frozen yogurt from Greece.

Against my better judgement, I bypass Titans Tower's security and take the leftover pancakes from Friday night's usual soirée (which _I_ was not invited to, courtesy of a certain young former sidekick of Batman whose room will be tp'd momentarily), and run up to Canada for some fresh maple syrup (not going to spring for that repulsive store-bought variety… I mean that's gotta be a crime. I'll ask Uncle Barry about filing a case) I casually run up the wall and phase through her window, surprised to find that she's stirring from her slumber. I place the tray of food on the windowsill and move the blinds to let hints of sunlight into the room, and now that I can see, I realize Jinx sleeps above the covers. Seriously… the sheets were strewn about, but only a foot was hidden from my view.

And wow, was she beautiful! Her hair was down, mussed, something I've never seen before, but it was cute this way.

 _I might have to find a way to get her to wear it down all the time… Well, when there's a will, there's a way?_

Her arms were wrapped tightly around a stuffed pink bear and she was clad in a crop top and jeans.

My teenage hormones were at their peak, but being a hero means I can keep those in check.

Hopefully…

 _Teddy bears, eh? First unicorns and now… I'm starting to think that Jinx doesn't have an evil bone in her body?_

Asleep, Jinx appeared to be at peace, even happy… I could almost see the traces of a smile on her face.

 _I wonder what she dreams about… I wonder if any of it's about me… I wonder if any of the good stuff is about me?_

She tosses and turns a little more, and I worry that she's in the midst of a nightmare. I take a sip of my coffee… All I can do now is wait… And maybe run around the world a few times, but that gets old fast.

When you're a speed demon, you've seen the world cuz you get around superheroing pretty often…

 _But the one thing I really want to see…_

 _Is her by my side for the whole adventure._

* * *

 _Jinx_

 _Foiled again. Another beautifully planned crime ruined, and by who? Kid Flash, of all goddamn people. Damn him. Damn his obnoxious smile and piercing icy-blue eyes. Damn his windswept fiery scarlet hair. Damn him for running his fingers through it when he's deep in thought when he clearly knows no girl can withstand._

 _Damn his face for being so inexplicably attractive… I almost want to touch it, to be him for a day, just to see how it feels… Damn him for leaving me roses with notes before randomly taking off. Damn him for appearing at the worst times and always being there when he's not supposed to._

 _And damn him again just for good measure._

 _Why does he have to exist? What could possibly be evil enough to conjure up something as horrific as Kid Flash? How could anyone be that devilishly annoying and still be liked?_

 _Cuz I swear, the next time he shows up, that morning'll be the last sunrise he'll ever see. I've had enough of Kid Flash to serve me a lifetime. If I never saw him again, it'd be too soon, wouldn't it?_

 _If he just took a day off… If we could just pull off one successful crime, we might have enough to stay afloat. At this rate, I'm going to have to turn to shoplifting at a J.C. Penny's, but he might not even let that happen peacefully._

 _Superhero boys… They think they own the world, don't they? Especially him, going out to get a snack in the midst of our battles, casually stopping by the tower to say hi while we're going over missions, and let's not forget the incessant roses…_

 _God, the roses… everywhere I look, and he probably put them there. If I sold all of them, we might have enough to buy ourselves a small yacht. I almost wonder where they all come from? Is he rich or something? I wouldn't be surprised… The heros have it easy… It's us villains that have to struggle through the times to make a living._

 _And he just stands there, a goddamn rose in one hand, chow in the other with that goofy grin on his goddamn nearly-flawless face that makes me doubt if he wasn't dropped as a child._

 _Well, step 1 of my new plans is eliminating Kid Flash at the first opportunity. With him outta the way, something might go right for once._

I feel a slight pang in my heart…No Kid Flash means no… Well, no more Kid Flash… No more chance encounters, no more inhumanly wicked smirks…

And no more weird heart-trying-to-win-a-race-with-a-supersonic-jet.

 _Would I miss those things? But… that makes no sense… He's an idiot, a bloody goddamn idiot._

 _And a heroic idiot at that. There's no way I have any feelings for Kid Flash; the sheer idea is preposterous! I can't even imagine the kind of girl that would go for a kind of spandex-clad grinning sharp-as-a-butter-knife superhero like him!_

 _Certainly not me… Well, might as well get up. I don't think I'm going back to sleep now… Not with him clouding my thoughts._

 _Even when he's not here, he's everywhere. I should've thrown away the roses instead of keeping them in here. After I get rid of him, I'll get rid of everything that could remind me of him._

 ** _"_** ** _Even the unicorn sketches?"_** _the Kid Flash voice in my head asks._

 _Goddamnit, why does he have to be so exasperating? It's like- It's maddening, vexing, it makes me question what I'm doing with my life._

 _Gah, how does anyone manage a conversation with him without wanting to tear him limb-from-limb or throttle him like there's no tomorrow? He's just so-_

 _I can't describe it. I have no words… His irksome nature is beyond even the vocabulary of the all-powerful Jinx._

I hear someone slurping coffee. Damnit, it must be morning already. I need to remind Gizmo to fix the ventilation system so I sleep better. I rubbed my eyes and yawned noisily, but it doesn't matter. None of the H.I.V.E FIVE are dumb enough to bear witness to my morning routine.

 _The sign on my door should be more than enough to scare any of them away, shouldn't it?_

"Rise and shine, beautiful," an all-too-familiar voice calls.

My eyes open wide, I tilt my head up, the first thing I see is a familiar yellow costumed crime-fighter. I tumble off of the bed in shock, taking my pillow and sheets with me. Kid Flash laughs, mockingly, as if he would've done any better if I had showed up in his bedroom.

 _As if he was going to find_ _ **me**_ _there…It'll be a cold damned day in hell before that, Kid Flash…_

I rubbed my head to ease the pain, forgetting that a superhuman heals pretty quickly regardless.

 _Damnit... I left my room cluttered enough so I could hear him if he waltzed in. Apparently my plans_ _ **truly**_ _are foiled again…_

"Don't you go to sleep like normal people do on a Friday and wake up like normal people on a Saturday?" I asked, looking for the nearest weapon. The last time I tried to hex him, I trashed my room, so I might as well take a different approach.

 _If I throw the bear at him… The bear might get ruined… Let's hope he didn't notice the bear…_

 _But with my luck… He's probably got pictures galore?_

I reach for my pillow and toss it at him, full-force. He even lets it hit him like it couldn't possibly _do_ anything.

 _Arrogant much? It's not like it would hurt you to just-_

 _Just anything other than you would be nice for you to do, you know? Change is good, Kid Flash… Embrace it!_

He even _pretends_ to be knocked back a bit, and falls to the floor so we're fighting on equal footing.

"Very chivalrous of you, Kid Flash. But chivalry is dead, much like you will be," I hiss, remembering that the Complete Rulebook for Young Supervillains forbids speaking normally at any times.

I recall that you can hiss, yell, whisper, but under no circumstances are we allowed to talk in an inside voice.

Kid Flash's grin widens as he closes the distance between us, not the least bit afraid of what I'll do to him.

 _So I'm going to venture and say he read the sign, and he still doesn't give a damn?_

I notice an abnormal scent and lean in closer, trying to get a better whiff. Kid Flash takes it as a sign from the gods and triumphantly smirks.

 _What in the name of all that is good any holy is he-?_

"Is that- Is that supposed to be cologne?" I ask, raising an eyebrow, confused as to why anyone would wear something that strong.

His eyes widen as he perceives my evident distaste for the odor.

"Well, it used to be, but after running around the world, it probably mixed with enough sweat that now... it was a bad idea to begin with, Jinxy. Promise I won't make that mistake twice?" He replied, a hopeful look entering his face.

"So you're here… in my room?"

"Oh, is that where we are? I'm sorry, I thought the magnificent unicorn drawings and childish toys strewn upon the floor signified that this was the Brotherhood's new lair?"

I feel a slight flush at his mention of the unicorn drawings-my pride and joy-but quickly realize that he's just changing the subject.

"Stop doing that! I- So why are you here, then, if you knew full well that it _was_ my room?"

 _Even if the H.I.V.E. security systems are no good and we are on opposing sides, he still has no right to invade my privacy like this… Right? I do possess generic civilian rights, I hope…_

"I couldn't sleep and well, I was kinda famished so I thought you might want some breakfast too?" He said, gesturing to what seemed like a meal fit for a king atop my windowsill.

 _Guess who_ _ **would**_ _be back to sleep right now? If it wasn't for a certain red-haired speedster?_

"Try visualizing your plans going right for once… It gives _me_ that warm, fuzzy feeling inside?" I said.

He gets up, _feigns_ brushing dust off his yellow spandex uniform, and offers me his hand. I smack it away before he bends down and picks me up, bridal-style. I try to worm my way out half-heartedly, and the look in his eyes tells me he knows. I reluctantly give up and let him carry me over to the windowsill, and the caloric intake almost sparkles.

"Greek yogurt, pancakes, tacos, and… Is that passionfruit tea?" I asked, momentarily overjoyed.

 _The boy knows where to get nutrition, I'll give him that one…_

He blushed. "I may or may not have followed you long enough to find a few of your culinary interests"

"Borderline stalkerish, but I'll let it go just this once…Only because the food is nice, Kid Flash… Don't get any ideas thinking I've undergone a transformation. If you've come here trying to convert me again… I'm still on the path of evil… Or at the very least, I'm up to no good!"

"Just how much food did you think I could eat, anyways? This looks like enough to last me until… Probably past lunchtime…"

"I might've overestimated a little... My metabolism is a tiny bit faster than even a normal superhuman's?"

 _A normal superhuman. Is that what the H.I.V.E FIVE are? He doesn't think of me as a sworn enemy?_

 _Because we clearly are! How does he not see that? Is there no limit to how dense one human being can be?_

I take a bite of the pancake and marvel. The syrup isn't that nasty stuff that you find at the supermarket. Honestly, the Teen Titans should be capturing those people and not us; making something that noxious has got to be a crime in and of itself.

For once, I'm happy, and he can tell. The smirk on his face disappears, and he replaces it with an honest smile.

 _Damn him, those are the hardest kind of smiles to figure out. Maybe making me happy makes him happy? Or maybe he's just happy he's still alive… The last time he was here…_

 _Gah, this is too much thinking for a Saturday morning. I should be catching up on the latest episodes of Young Justice. Not that I would be enjoying it… The voice actors and drawing staff simply don't do Kid Flash any justice._

 _And they ship him with a blonde chick of all people, of course. I don't even know why I watch that show… I might just start Game of Thrones or something better… I hear the Teen Titans have a comedic television series…_

 ** _Oh, but you do know why that show is entirely irresistible…You just don't want to admit it, do you? …_**

 _Who are you? And how did you get in my head? Did Kid Flash drug my breakfast? I should've known… Not like it's beneath him… Well, it's not every day you get a weird voice in your head… Today must be special…_

 ** _Me being here is hardly his fault. Or rather, all of his fault. You see, I've never been powerful enough to manifest until he showed up with his dashing good looks and charm._**

 ** _But to answer simply… I am your conscience, Jinx. And I'm telling you, you know exactly why you watch Young Justice._**

 _But you won't tell me? Some conscience I have. I bet there's not a soul in this world who has a voice like mine._

 ** _Some facts are more fun to have you discover. But if I must… You watch Young Justice for him… Only him. The only reason you're mad about the Artemis affair is because-_**

 ** _I've said too much… I'll be going now…_**

I am not even 2% mad about the Artemis affair. Kid Flash can date whoever he wants to. I don't care.

In fact, I couldn't care less. Even if I took the **zero** care I have now and put it in a continuously compounding interest account, it wouldn't be anything but a big, fat **zero**! I'd like to see Euler say otherwise!

"For someone who thought I brought too much, you sure do finish it as fast as I would?" Kid Flash remarks, his eyes sparkling at me, beckoning for something; I wish I was sure what…

I look down at my plate. Both a single taco and a half-eaten pancake are left, and I realize that I've viciously eaten the rest while I was talking to Conscience. I put the tray down and look back at him suspiciously.

"You had to have some ulterior motive for being here… So why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you in my room, Kid Flash? Other than because you were thinking of others?"

"What if that's my only reason, Jinxy?"

"So it isn't?"

"Well… Not exactly…"

"You know, I'm not usually one to pry… But you are in my room. You could at least tell me why you're here"

"That's easier said than done…"

"So do you want to tell me why I keep getting roses with weird notes in oddly good handwriting instead?"

"I thought you knew that one," he says as his gaze shifts away and becomes strangely crestfallen.

"The court finds Kid Flash guilty of unlawful entry into H.I.V.E. Tower in addition to Jinx's bedroom, and orders him state his intent"

"I think I've been through enough legal troubles to know that's not how the judicial procedure works… Don't I at least get a shot at defending myself?"

"You… are literally in my room… What better evidence could I possibly obtain to prove you guilty?"

"Still, I thought you knew why…"

"It wouldn't hurt for you to say it, now would it?" I ask, hopeful that he doesn't call my bluff.

His face brightens like he just broke out of prison successfully and the bank next to it is open and unguarded.

Well, maybe _that_ feeling is solely a villain thing…

"The roses… the notes… The finding you in random places… Or more politically correct, the you finding me finishing heroic acts of bravery right as you walk in…"

 _So he plans these things… If only he was a villain… The Brotherhood would've accepted him long ago…_

His icy-blue eyes move to pierce mine, and the confidence reappears. "I don't know how to say it better, Jinx. I think I… I like you," he says, or rather he asks, unsure of the truth in that proclamation.

He blinks, his hand slyly shifting closer to mine. Our fingertips meet and he opens his mouth to speak. Time feels like it's slowed down to a snail's pace but my heart is racing at a cool million miles per second, perhaps as fast as he could.

"Yeah, I like you. I like you… a lot…" He convincingly finishes, and for once, I'm the one lost for words…

"Gwah?" I manage to sputter out.

 _Great job, Jinx… Now you sound as intelligent as he does._

"God, here I am pouring my heart out like the Nile after the rains and you aren't even paying a hint of attention… Serves me right for picking a supervillain…"

He starts again, "I like you, Jinx, and not in that childish you-like-someone-for-a-day-and-never-speak-to-them-again. And definitely not in the I-like-you-as-a-friend… I don't know if you even think of us as friends, but… You know, I came to Jump City cuz I heard there was a girl here who claimed to be pure bad luck… Well, that, and cuz Robin wanted me to. But anyways, I had to prove her wrong, that no one's powers define who they are…" he trailed off.

"But it turns out I had nothing to prove. That girl was _so_ not bad luck. She got me in and out of Rouge's clutches and then she showed me that she's not all bad, and that messing with her is one heck of a bad idea…

"Which is why I'm not messing with you now, Jinx. I like you… I like-like you…"

So, do you… like me?" He asked, and I could tell it took every ounce of self-control he had to not burst into tears or explode into a thousand pieces.

 _Do you… like me?_

The words echoed through my ears as I struggled to find an answer.

 _Do I like him? Do I not? What am I supposed to say?_

 _Think, Jinx, think. There's got to be something in your brain that tells you._

 _How could I like him? He's indubitably the more infuriating creature to have roamed the Earth?_

 _It's a yes or no question…God knows how it's this hard to answer. Do I accept the roses out of affection for him, or do I just want to remember the day? Is it cuz I want to lead him on until I can cause him grief like he has with Madame Rouge and the Brotherhood? Or is it cuz they're the most thoughtful thing anyone's ever done for me?_

 _Do I like him? Do I love him? Do I not want to strangle him until he gasps for dear life?_

 _*sigh* this is impossible. I'm never going to get anything out of myself. I could just go with the standard "maybe", but that seems a slightly cruel thing to do to anyone, even the enemy._

 _Cut it out, Jinx. You hate him, remember? Remember everything he's done to you? Every crime he's stopped; every nuisance he's caused? Every attempt to "convert" you to his side and make you see the light? Remember the incessant annoyance you couldn't wait to get rid of?_

"Jinx? Earth to Jinxy? You still there? Any sentient form of being want to respond to me?"

And in that moment, everything negative breaks free, the rage, the hatred, and I feel myself restraining the pink flaring at my fingertips. A strange persona bursts out of me, a dark side I never thought I was capable of.

"Of course I don't like you! I hate you! I hate your goddamn face, your goddamn roses, and I wish you would just get out of my goddamn life! If I never saw you again… It'd be too soon!" I say, practically spitting the words at him as if I was uttering a curse. Pink bolts fly from my fingertips to his, knocking him cleanly off the windowsill onto his knees. He stands up, and now there's actual dust to brush off of his uniform. He starts towards the door, his back to me.

 _…_ _Is that a tear on his cheek?_

My hand moves to catch his. "I'm sorry, Kid Flash… I-I don't know what that was… I-I don't know"

But my powers malfunction and I just end up hexing him further away from me. He turns around, and this is the most serious I've ever seen him be. He manages a weak smile to conceal the painful look in his eyes, and a single tear caresses his cheek.

 _I was right… Not that it matters now…_

"I'm fine, you think I can't survive a few hexes? Us superheros are made of stronger stuff than that…But I'll take my leave now, if that's how you feel. And… I'll even make sure you never see me again, if that's what you want. Goodbye, Jinxy. Goodbye forever…" the words leave his mouth but each one takes another year of life off him and as he finishes, he looks like he just watched his entire world reduced to ashes. I probably could've shoved a knife though his heart and the agony wouldn't have increased… much…

And then it hits me.

 _I am his world…I just drove a metaphorical knife through his ribcage… I meant that much to him and I hated him… But I don't even know if I did hate him… If I still do hate him._

 _Does it matter, Jinx? He's a hero, you're a villain. He doesn't matter to you, never has, never will. It should be fun to see him cry, writhing in pain? Shouldn't it?_

 _But it's not… He's genuinely hurt this time… And even I wouldn't want that to happen to someone… After knowing what it feels like myself…_

 _The fire…_

But by the time I finish blinking, he's gone, and the only thing that's left is a single rose, pink this time, with flecks of black… and yet another note.

"Something to remember me by…If you ever want to, that is…"

My glance turns to the window as I sigh briefly. Even if I don't not hate him, and even if I'm pretty sure I don't like him… At least not in that way… That might've been kinda harsh, even for someone as riling as him…

I shift my gaze to the window... It's a perfectly sunny day in Jump City... Everyone else's mornings are probably _overflowing_ with sunshine...

 _Do you… like me?_

The thought returns as if it hasn't caused me enough trouble already. I pick up my sketchbook and start drawing to relieve some tension, but the actual drawing part of it involves me spacing out to ponder those four words. I remember the look in his eyes when he asked me that... It's like he was almost sure I'd say yes, join his side, and we'd get a happily ever after.

I put down my pencil and expect to see a perfect unicorn like all the rest...

But it's not...

Right in front of me is a nearly-perfect likeness of Kid Flash, right down to the eyes. For a second, I'm impressed that I could draw someone that well.

 _But it's just like him... Almost too good... How in hell did I-?_

 _Oh Goddamnit... I think I might..._

 _I might actually... like-like him back..._

 _It's a cold day in hell after all, isn't it?..._

* * *

So it wasn't that bad, right?... I'll update sometime within the next week

Reviews would be appreciated... Every review gets a virtual strawberry-ice-cream-laced-with-caramel cone, I promise?

Cya later!

~lefauxlucifer


	2. Tryst

Disclaimer:

Me: Hey, Starfire… You think you could muscle Glen Murakami into giving me the rights to Teen Titans?

Star: Do not mess… with the Jeff!

Me: Oh, sorry, wrong Starfire… I'll be going now

Star: There is only one Starfire… And that Starfire… is the Jeff!

Me: Yeah, yeah, but just in case… I'm just going to go find the _other_ Starfire and ask her…

Star: Are you saying that… you dare to mess… with the Jeff?

Me: No, no, why would I mess with you? I'm just trying to get the rights to Teen Titans, just like everyone else… I'll see myself out, kay?

Star: No one messes… With the JEFF!

*Tamaranean war-cries*

Me: Does… anyone… want to call… 911…? Thanks…

Me: *wakes up in hospital* Sorry guys, looks like I still don't own Teen Titans… Oh well… All rights go to the Warner Brothers, Cartoon Network, Glen Murakami, anyone I've left out…

* * *

 _Chapter Two: Tryst_

 _Kid Flash_

I ran, ran anywhere, anywhere that wasn't where she was. Those who said I couldn't just run away from my problems were completely and utterly wrong. As long as I can run, I can run away, right?

 _How in the Sam Hill could I have been_ _ **that**_ _stupid? Like I realize it's possible to be a little stupid from time to time… Sometimes, you're allowed to go to the point of deathly stupid, but this… No, this was on a whole freaking scale. If we were going from 1 being calling Beast-Boy-calling-Raven-sexy-stupid to 10 as Beast-Boy-kissing-Raven-on-the-lips-after-bringing-her-out-of-her-room-while-she-was-reading…. In-front-of-the-four-other Titans-stupid… Heavens to Betsy, this incident merits at least a 13. Sidenote, messing with a half-demon powerhouse concerning whether her crush likes her or not even though it's painfully obvious to any partially-sentient organism was not one of my better ideas… I still have the scars from that one…_

 _Of course, neither was this idea… Yeah, Wally, just wake up early, make her breakfast, tell her you like her, unconvincingly at first… Then say it again… Then test out your motivational speaking skills and hero it up a bit. Afterwards, as if you haven't forced a freshly-sharpened longsword through your lungs enough, boldly ask her if she likes you. Brilliant, absolutely bloody brilliant genius, Stephen Hawking would be_ _ **so**_ _proud._

 _Even if all of that happened… If I just hadn't asked her if she returned my feelings… I'd have room to work with, if nothing else. Even giving her time to cool off after breaking into her room… Which is apparently a criminal offense, not that I would need to know… Usually, I operate on the other side of the law, so I wouldn't know. Even convincing her that she liked me afterwards wouldn't have been more than nearly impossible, but no, Wally, you just had to drive the final nail into the coffin. Stupid, stupid, stupid idiot. Wait 'till the Titans inevitably catch wind about this latest endeavor… I will never hear the end of it, will I?..._

 _Why doesn't someone actually kill me now? It's not like I have much left to live for anymore, right? My world has been viciously shattered into an innumerable number of pieces, rendered beyond repairs, and will most likely be only somewhat back to normal after decades of therapy. My love life, once as grandiose as Roman Empire, has, much like every other great government presiding over an insuppressibly large realm, has been diminished to nothing more than ashes and/or dust, depending on the semantics of the sitch. The once-infallible Kid Flash, is nothing more than any other hopeless Joe on the streets, doomed to eternal unrest and damnation by the girl he loves._

 _Okay, maybe I'm being a little dramatic… I did win Best Actor at my middle school 3 years running… After all, there's got to be some hope, right? Maybe when she said she never wants to see me again, she meant that she was going blind, and that was just her way of telling me?_

 _Another prodigal idea brought to you by Wallace West Enterprises… Where other companies promise supreme idiocy, we deliver on it…I just hope that when I have to run my family's company, it'll go better than the current status of my love life_

 _God, Jinx must think I'm a total loser now… Nah, she probably thought that of me beforehand… After this fiasco, I think she's pushed me one level beneath that. I mean, what kind of brainless numbskull admits his undying love to a girl that almost turned him over to a malevolent psychopath and would gladly do so again if given the chance? Love isn't just blind; I guess it also manages to cut off blood circulation to the nervous system…_

 _I'm a hopeless idiot, aren't I? … A hopeless idiot that she_ _ **never**_ _wants to see again. Normally, I wouldn't be fazed by that. I've known my fair share of girls that say words they don't mean. As a superhero, I'm pretty qualified to judge the truth with a glance. But by the look in her eyes, she wasn't joking around with me. Christ, I'd rather be in Rouge's hands than never be around her again… Being in the same city as you but having to avoid you at all costs? Jinx, you are quite the sadist. You almost make the villain life seem bearable. Maybe I'd even be fine with that… If I couldn't convert you… Even if you were bad and I was good, I'd live, wouldn't I? But now… Now I have no chance with you… I should've relied on skill, not sheer luck. Or maybe I should've had skill to begin with… Maybe I should've been 220-pounds of motorcycle-riding, gun-toting, tattooed masculinity instead? Sadly, my Schwinn Hybrid Vantage F2 isn't exactly a Harley…_

 _God, she was right about me being such a senseless, dim-witted fool… If I had Robin's cool, Beast Boy's wits, or even Cyborg's hard-core technopath mentality… I might've survived that one. I might've been able to build myself a Harley. Or mesmerize her away from the fact that superheros are kinda broke._

 _We don't even get paid for running around the city all day saving lives! It's so unfair…I mean, yeah, the reward of a thing well done is to have done it, but then again, was Ralph Waldo Emerson ever desperately trying to impress a girl? If my parents weren't around… I'd be in one heck of a jam when I'll actually be fending for myself. I do have parents though, so for now, I'm still doing better than a young Batman…_

 _I bet our dear team leader could've taken a moment to explain a few things… Seriously, Robin, you spent an entire week on teaching us how to break out of a cage but not one second on building motorcycles? Or figuring out if a girl likes you? How to charm your way into a girl's heart 101? This is practical knowledge, buddy. Stuff that would've actually taught me something. Sure, if Jinx put me in a cage, I could get out… But after the last time, she'd probably use a level 4 containment field… Which is inescapable for us minor-league superheros-in-training…_

 _But noooo, we had to learn the "essentials", like washing dishes by hand or cleaning an entire bathroom from top to bottom. You didn't even show us how to clear browser history properly. Of all the things, Robin, that may have been useful, considering the Titans are sometimes nothing more than… ridiculously hormonal teenagers with the best wifi in a 300-mile radius… Only you would be neglecting the useful stuff in a way that no one else would be forgiven for… That's our Robin, all right..._

 _It's impossibly difficult though… But I'll try… It's just not like I can't not talk to her ever… Even bypassing the whole liking-her-more-than-I-value-my-life thing, I'm a superhero, she's a supervillain. I patrol the freaking city she lives in! It's not like I'm never going to run into her committing a crime. And then what in tarnation am I supposed to do? Cover my face? Screw it all!_

My strength finally runs out, pardon the pun. I knelt down in the…

 _Where in God's name am I? This… looks a desert… Great, Kid Flash, that narrows it down… Like there's only one desert on Earth. God, I wish there was only one desert on Earth… Sadly, there are too many deserts to possibly know them all by name… But there_ _ **is**_ _only one Jinx in the world… And I managed to screw that one up, big time…_

 _God , why am I such a hopeless idiot? You let me get all the others, why not her? Did you have to pick the one that I couldn't live without? Are you really t_ _ **hat**_ _sadistic?_

 _Please be answering no to that last question…_

I pulled up the GPS function on my watch, surprised to find out it works it the middle of nowhere.

 _Even if my wits, charm, and dashing good looks have failed me… At least technology still has my back?_

I brushed away a tear, and for the official record, running at lightspeed dried out my eyes, and was most likely the reason tears were falling so fast, you know, to replenish the moisture lost…

 _God, I'm pathetic… Sure, deny it all you want, Wally… But this girl meant something to you…The rest didn't matter like you did, Jinx… The rest meant nothing compared to you… Artemis, Miss Martian, I can't even remember any more of them… Every second spent with you makes me forget hours spent with any of them…_

 _No, Jinx wasn't at all like the rest… Jinx was the first girl who ever made me smile that much… Jinx was the first one to ever kill me if I went too far… The only one who could resist my charisma… And the first one I ever cried for. I'd rather die instantly having known her than live a hundred years without._

 _But by Jove… This is something even the fastest boy alive can't work around… This calls for a… higher power… Something…demonic in nature… Or at least, I'm going to need some backup. After all, what are teammates for if not to annoy them with your girl problems? As long as none of them guess the girl in question correctly, that'd be my best bet…_

 _So guess who's taking a trip to Titans Tower? Guess who's also unwelcome in Titans Tower after a certain incident with sporks? Guess who is going to Titans Tower regardless? Guess who is essentially going from one death to his next?_

 _In case your guessing skill is worse than my flirting (as evident by Exhibit A: Death by sorceress), the answer to all of the above… is yours truly._

* * *

 _Jinx_

 _And if I might like him… Then telling him that… may have been a slight mistake on my part…_

 _But that's just my luck, isn't it?_

 _Well, I might as well take a goddamn shower before I attempt to figure out my goddamn problems. I'd like to see what Jinx Alter has to say about this…_

 _Eventually, I'll name my conscience something… But what would do? Might as well turn some music on too, can't hurt the mood… I doubt today could get more interesting, but I'd rather not say that aloud._

You see, throughout my few years of life, I've learned that humanity can sometimes defy fate… But that we still shouldn't tempt them cuz I'd rather live 'till tomorrow… And that when you've dug yourself a deep enough hole… Quit while you're behind…

If I'm ever important enough that anyone decides to turn my early life into a reality show… These are the important life lessons they should focus on. I'll have to make a note to the directors of that to disregard this entire day… Possibly the week, maybe the year in its entirety, not quite sure when I'm going to be done figuring my life out _._

"Let's just use some of the wifi we don't pay for and… Wait, I had Gizmo download music onto my phone last week cuz the wifi was getting annoying. How does this goddamn thing work? Can't I just click on the song and… PIN number? When did I set a PIN for this thing? Ugh… Let's hope it's 1…2…3…4… Thank you, self, for being way too lazy to choose something harder"

I wasn't going to waste mental energy picking a song, so I just clicked the first one on the playlist and hopped in the shower. Thankfully, the boys weren't up, so the hot water was all mine. Jinx: 1, H.I.V.E: 0… Well, the rest of the H.I.V.E…

 _(Losing him was blue like I'd never known…)_

 _(Missing him was dark grey all alone)_

 _(Forgetting him was like tryna' know somebody you never met…)_

 _(Cuz loving him was RED!)_

 _(Burning red…)_

 _Taylor Swift was right… Pro tip: If you're trying to get boys out of your head… Don't pick a goddamn country singer who essentially refers to boys in all her songs…_

But for what it was worth… T-swizzle ain't wrong. I did just lose him, voluntarily, and now I kinda feel blue enough to invent a time machine, going back to the days of black-and-white TV, changing my name to Louis Armstrong, and picking up a trumpet. Somehow, that seems easier than tracking down Kid Flash and changing my mind on that pertinent question he just had to ask me. I… don't want to go back to him and say I was lying or that I changed my mind…

 _I don't look back… I don't, no matter who it is, I've never been the one to cry or run or…_

It's a bit empty without him… I almost wish he was around or something… It's like something just isn't right… Something's off about the world… My world…

Dark grey is actually pretty decent way to describe what I'm feeling right now, though… It's like someone was really bad with the paints in their elementary art class and decided to put the black in the only white, and just screwed up terribly. That child may have been dropped on the head at some point…

Yes, white paint thingies from Crayola do exist, they're just about as rare as… Oh, a decent guy with hair that appears to be continuously on fire and piercing icy-blue eyes…

 _Stop it! This is supposed to be a sacred place. The showers are reserved for casual deep thought. Not Kid Flash thoughts… Or Kid Flash… Nope, definitely not entertaining that thought…_

 _Do I want_ _ **that**_ _to happen between us? Do I not want_ _ **that**_ _to happen between us? God, I bet calculus is easier than this… I'd like to meet someone who can figure emotions quicker than derivatives with power rule._

 _And the roses… The most goddamnned thing of them all… I may have not the slightest inkling about what red feels like, but… If red means that sometimes someone can make your spine tingle and induce this physically impossible feeling inside your stomach… all just when their hand touches yours for the briefest of instants…Then they were indubitably red._

As the song drew to a close, I rushed out of the shower. There are days when you can waste the entire 24 hours… And then there are those weird times when you don't have a spare second for anyone… I fished through my wardrobe for something Kid Flash would kill to see me in… I was saving it for something special, but I figure… This is special enough?

 _With my luck, it won't matter what I pick, will it?_

I closed my eyes, picked out a flowing dark violet dress that cut just low enough to accentuate the minimal cleavage of a developing teenage girl and stared into the soul-searching depths of my mirror.

 _Could I even resist myself?_

… I could bother checking the weather to see if I have to bring a jacket, but meteorologists lie more often than I do, so…

 _Plus, I bet Kid Flash wouldn't mind giving me his if it came to it… There might be a bright side to this love thing after all?_

 _I wonder what the H.I.V.E. would think if I came back wearing a sweatshirt that had Kid Flash plastered all over it?..._

 _That is… If I like him… That question still remains unanswered… I… don't… know…_

The one thing I want to know… and I don't… It's funny how life works out that way, isn't it? I can recall what Mammoth's favorite TV show used to be when he was 4… I even remember what kind of crayons Gizmo liked to eat when he was 6… The blue kind, apparently the yellow ones were too soft and the taste of the purple ones were too unsavory.

But do I know if I like Kid Flash or not? No. No I don't!

Damnit, with the brain space taken up by the H.I.V.E's useless details, I might've been able to formulate the perfect plan to find out. But instead, I can tell the nearest passerby that Billy Numerous has seen all 182 episodes of Winx Club and that his favorite character happens to be Flora, the Fairy of Nature.

 _Well, I might as well start with Gizmo's place._

As I walked in, I noticed his mechanical legs were repaired… Funny why he keeps doing that… They break every other day when the Titans are involved… Kid Flash even made special note to never leave those legs unharmed during battle.

"So, Gizmo… I see you've managed to repair your most brilliant creation… Anyways, I've come up with a truly infallible scheme, and I kinda need a favor, you in?"

 _Oh, like you have a choice in the matter…_

"I'd like to help… But… We're all kinda pressed for time as it is, Jinx"

 _Doing what? Watching TV.. No that isn't TV… I don't know what that is… Do I want to know?_

"Just… hack into the city's telephone directory or something and get me the phone numbers of the Teen Titans… I'll even make sure not to accidentally destroy your mechanical legs on my way out"

 _Goddamnit, Gizmo, I'm a busy girl, I have places to be, things to do. I don't have time to waste debating! Especially not goddamn now!_

"Numbers? Why would you need numbers? Are we going to prank-call them into submission? I wouldn't have come up with anything better myself, Jinx… But after this, I really should get back to my work" he said, sighing, closing a few windows of what seemed to be an anime… High School DXD?

 _Is that… What is that girl… Yup, I definitely did not want to know but now I do… I have seen that which cannot be unseen. I think those tentacles are going to be what's keeping me up at night from now on… Kid Flash wouldn't be pleased to note that his reign of sleep deprivation has come to an end…_

After a bout of frenzied typing, Gizmo printed out a neatly organized table for me, and then proceeded to pull up… some of his animated fantasies for his viewing pleasure. For the record, I think I may have rushed out of that room faster than Kid Flash could've, but don't tell him I said that… He's way too arrogant to let his title be challenged.

I took a deep breath. This required courage, guts, skill… Three things which left me almost immediately.

 _Well, I guess calling him directly and asking for a rendez-vous would be out of the question since I really don't want to… And the Titans are particularly keen on trusting me… So, well… There's about one person who wouldn't want to kill me on sight… Although the hugs I get when I'm out for a casual stroll make me think that she does… Let's hope she picks up… I mean, I wouldn't pick up, so I don't know how this is going to work out… I doubt she's even awake this early on a Saturday morning if there's no crime to stop…_

"Good morning friend… This is Starfire, of the planet Tamaran, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance. May I please know who is speaking?"

 _Good signs, good signs… Not sensing any hostility thus far… She probably isn't tracking my location but just in case, I'll move around my room?_

"Oh, you're awake… Didn't expect that one… Um, so this is Jinx… Remember me? Well, that's kind of a stupid question… I mean, of course you remember me, I may have tried to destroy you and your friends countless times, like last Tuesday… Hell, our teams are like mortal enemies or something. Rumor even has it that on Friday nights, you guys play darts with pictures of us… You know what, maybe it's best if you… Don't remember me? Just… Forget the entirety of what I said… It didn't happen… Please?"

 _Ow! Goddamnit, why did I leave so many things on the floor? Including this lego… Hell, what are these things made of, industrial-strength steel? Christ's sakes, just cover an entire town with these hellish creatures and the inhabitants would indubitably surrender within seconds?_

"I see… You are most definitively not the Jinx of the H.I.V.E. Five, then? But that… I suppose… unknown stranger, I extend the hand of the friendship to you and welcome you with a traditional Tamaranean folk song"

After 5 minutes of hearing Starfire belt out incomprehensible words, silence ensued, neither of us knowing exactly what to say now that we didn't consider the other as the bane of our very existence.

 _If I ever switch sides… I'll first demand earplugs so that I never have to hear_ _ **that**_ _again… No offence, Starfire… Your singing is fantastic… Your lyrics are not…_

"Um, so I guess you might be wondering, uh, why I called you up so early on a Saturday morning… Well, so the thing is, uh, Kid Flash and I… had a… falling out, if you will… And I'm not really sure he'd want to talk to me… Well, I kinda may have said I never wanted to speak to him again… ever…. So, um, yeah…"

 _Has anyone ever sounded even half that stupid on a phone conversation? Just imagine what I'd be saying if this was discourse with Kid Flash… It'll be a cold day in hell before I'm going to… Actually, it kinda is a cold day in hell already so… Not too sure how that'll play out._

"I understand, friend Jinx. You have come to me for the moral support and the advice after your "breakup" with the friend Kid Flash. Although I am relatively inexperienced with such things on Earth, I was witness to many of the Tamaranean courtship customs, and I am sure my extensive knowledge of the magazines for the teenage girls will prove most useful!"

I swear, if smiles were audible, I would've heard one through my phone as she said those words.

 _Have I ever been half that happy? Is that what I feel like when Kid Flash's around?_ _Happy? It's this weird thing I've never had before… Like everything wants to come spilling out of me, like my entire body just wants to dissolve into his… Half the time, it's because I want to tear him apart limb from limb, but… The other half of the time… I don't know…_

"Breakup? What breakup?"

 _So he just assumes we're together? Where in hell did he draw that goddamn conclusion from? One thing's for sure here, Kid Flash ain't no artist, eh? We haven't even gone on one date, how are we together?_

"Well, I assumed that since friend Kid Flash has lying here for a few hours-"

"Kid Flash said we broke up? We can't break up? We were never together in the first-"

"Friend Kid Flash has not spoken a single word since he entered Titans Tower. He is… not, however, silent as the mouse, as you would say. No, I assumed, friend Jinx, due to his incoherent babbling that the two of you had… some misunderstandings…"

 _Incoherent babbling, eh?… Blackmail material galore… After this is all said and done, I'll have to ask him about it… It'll just be a little payback for the past crimes he's committed against me, to even up the score._

"Wait, so you knew about Kid Flash and… me… the roses, the random appearances, the works?"

 _If the Titans knew… What are they planning?... A full-scale invasion? Surprise Kid-Flash-in-my-bedroom again?_

"Ah, friend Jinx… You underestimate a Tamaranean's emotional intellect… In fact, I was the person who figured out that he liked you… Only slightly after he knew for himself… I know the all, I see the all… And for a price, I may even tell the all. You have a lot to learn, little bumgorf…"

 _Bumgorf? I am not a bumgorf… What's a bumgorf? Well, the way she said it made it seem endearing, so… I'll assume it's a good thing?_

"So… You aren't against the idea of a hero… and a villain… um… being… together? Of me… and him?"

 _Is that even possible? Is that a good thing? Do they have rules against that in their handbook? I thought they'd do_ _ **something**_ _about it in the rules… After all, we don't want a hero like, oh, say, Kid Flash to end up switching to_ _ **our**_ _side?_

"The rules that friend Robin has instituted require me to say that I am quite against it, friend Jinx"

 _Oh, that's nice… So pursuing anything is utterly criminal for both of us… I'll keep that one in mind._

"So, um, I need… a favor… Not anything criminal or anything, just… Could you get Kid Flash to go sit on a bench in Jump City Central Park in around an hour or so?"

 _Not like a date or anything, right? That's not a date? No, this is nothing like a date at all… Just two people who may or may not like each other… hanging out at the park where we'll just talk… casually… about our feelings…_

 _Goddamnit, now I sound like I'm going to a therapy session… Although I don't quite know which of us needs therapy more… Probably him, to get over that sandwich obsession…_

"Friend Jinx, I require your word that you have no ulterior motive about such a meeting… Well, you must have not the dark ulterior motive… I suspect you do have some hidden intent regarding meeting Kid Flash in such an open space… Do you not?

 _Am I a ghost or something? Is what I want really that transparent? That a random stranger can see right through me so easily? Or maybe Starfire has entered a first-year psychology class? Those kids come up with some bizarre-but-truthful theories all the time…_

"Uh no, no, I have no intention of um… Anything like turning him into Madame Rouge or something. I guess… If you're worried about his safety, you could come with him… And just lurk in a tree or something? That wouldn't change much… As long as he doesn't know you're there?"

 _That almost sounds like I have some secret intention… I- I quit… There's just… I got nothing…_

"Oh, one final thing, friend Jinx… Kid Flash would like to know whether you would prefer the civvies or the yellow-and red?"

 _Civvies? Skivvies? Underwear? Kid Flash, of all people, should know that showing up to a park in your underwear wouldn't be the best of ideas… Not that he would care… I bet he walks around the house half-naked, and if anyone tries to tell him that, he'd charge them for the view._

"Civvies?"

"My apologies, friend Jinx. I forget, you are not the acquainted with our informal slang up in the hood, yo… Civvies is what superheros say for civilian clothing… Kid Flash would like to know if you possess the preference for one or the other?"

 _Well, I guess if villains weren't caught, we'd have civilian clothing too? I guess the dress I was going to wear was more civilian… And it's not like it was a dead giveaway I was Jinx… No, the hair should be giveaway enough…._

"Tell him to… wear something on the formal end, but not too formal… Something civilian in between a suit and a t-shirt with jeans?"

"Kid Flash would like to say that "you think too much" … Oh, he also wishes to know if you are asking him out on a "date"?"

 _Date? This isn't a date, Kid Flash… It's a simple meeting… Between two people who may or may not feel attracted towards each other… The two are obviously different ideas…_

"Friend Jinx? Are you the "still there"?"

 _God, I'm going to have to come up with something crafty… If there was ever a time for my wit to kick in…_

"Yeah, yeah… You know what?… Tell him it's a surprise… he'll have to wait and find out when he gets there?"

 _Not the worst I've said, not the best… Thank you wit, for having one hell of a clutch!_

I heard an affirmative before a dial tone…

 _Now all I have left to do is get dressed, walk a little, and wait until my master plan unfolds…_

Normally, I would have Mwhahahahaha'd but… Somehow, the villain within doesn't want to… The plan isn't even 2% evil… Except for that one part… But that part is more mischievous than evil…

 _ **Going out of our way to see a boy, are we?**_

 _Really? You literally always show up when you aren't useful whatsoever… Why do you even bother with the whole-_

 _ **I was being plenty useful watching you and making sure you didn't screw anything up… If you had, I would've intervened… Except…**_

 _So I haven't messed up?_

 _ **I never said that… Your song selections in the shower were catastrophic, but… nothing really messed up… This ship isn't sinking like the Titanic just yet…**_

 _Great, now I have a useless conscience that judges my music tastes. That's just peachy._

 _ **Or is it passionfruit?**_

 _What? The expression is "peachy"… Wait, you're trying to bring the topic back to Kid Flash, aren't you?_

 _ **Maybe… That kind of is why I show up, isn't it?**_

 _So… You know anything I should know this time? Know anything I don't know that you want to tell me, I should ask…_

 _ **You're dressed in possibly the most scintillating clothing you own, you actually attempted to style your hair, even though you've never done that before… For anyone… I don't know, Jinxy… Is there anything you want to tell yourself.**_

And this particular epiphany… feels like something along the lines of running into a brick wall… that's reinforced with concrete… While being carried by _him_ at the speed of light…While having a hangover and being forced to drink vodka…

 _ **Have you actually done any of those things…?**_

 _No, I bloody haven't decided to become an absolute idiot in the past year… I value my life as much as the next sorceress?_

 _ **I see… So, pray tell, what is this "epiphany" of yours?**_

 _Can you... like… leave or something?_

 _ **You seem to misunderstand again… I'm your conscience… I'm literally always where you are… But I'll shut up, if it makes you feel that much better?**_

 _You know… it's not really a question of whether I like him or not… It's a question of how much…_

 _Because I… guess there were the signs all along… Goddamnit, I'll accept it… But just this once…_

 _I, Jinx of the H.I.V.E Five, soon to be the world's most powerful sorceress and supervillainess extraordinaire, am in love with the hopeless, brain-dead idiot that calls himself Kid Flash…_

 _And the thing is… He's just as in love with me… Where he's already said it… I've… never said that before… to anyone… Not my parents, not my exes…. No one has ever heard those three words escape my lips… Thought no one ever would either…_

 _But even if I wanted to… How would I tell him? How does one admit something like that to someone like Kid Flash? I bet he's had at least a million girls who've said the same. How would mine be any different?_

 _But the thing is… He thinks I'm different… He believes that I'm going to change… That I can change, even when_ _ **I**_ _don't… He even thinks I'm not all bad luck… And he's okay with going out of his way to show me that I'm not…_

 _But the other, kinda-more important thing is… It's goddamn forbidden by both our sides… Punishable… by exile… A fate worse than even being normal…_

 _But I guess, if we were normal… We would've been able to…_

 _Hell, would we even know each other if we were normal? Normal people don't save or try to destroy the world… But normal people… have lives… Normal people don't have to go out of their way to… have something…_

 _If we ever got caught…_

 _I've just spent the entirety of my morning focusing on something that_ _ **isn't**_ _crime or unicorns, haven't I?…_

 _God, am I hopeless…_

 _God, are_ _ **we**_ _hopeless…_

So… life… Would it be too much to ask for twelve hours of good luck?

* * *

 _Kid Flash_

 _*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*_

"Can someone let me in already? It's not like none of you aren't awake… Beast Boy, Cyborg, I can hear your gaming from here… Just please, is anyone nice enough to let me the heck in?"

 _Are there no miracles in this world? A guy just got hexed twice by the girl he likes… And all the two of you care about is Resident Evil 6…Can I have some mercy? Maybe a hug? From Jinx?_

"Hello, friend Wallace… How have you been… How is the friend Jinx? Have you-"

 _The one Titan who won't want to kill me after I go psychotic about my relationship problems… I guess God does have mercy after all?_

"Starfire, it's so nice to see a familiar friendly face! How's about… you don't ask how my life is going just this one time and… Actually, that's why I came here so…"

Starfire pulled out a pair of black hipster glasses and put them on, adjusting them as if they were an everyday necessity.

 _Oh god, the end of the world is nigh… Please tell me she's not in an acting phase right now…_

 _On the other hand, God is apparently not all-merciful…_

"Friend Wallace, I believe you require… the counseling… Come with me…"

"Starfire…?"

 _She's a counselor… A god-forsaken counselor… How am I supposed to?- Heck, half the real ones don't work, so an untrained Starfire couldn't be any worse, right?_

"I have been trained in the ancient arts by friend Raven. Do not worry, friend Wallace… You shall figure out your problems"

 _Raven? Raven trained her? I take that back… Having no training is probably better than having training from a girl who wants to surpress all emotion… Though I've heard that suppressing all emotion isn't exactly what occurs when Beast Boy's around…_

 _I suppose this is a better way to deal with my problems than confronting them directly… Isn't it?_

"And then she" *sobs* "and then she" *sobs* "then she just had to"

"Friend Wallace… You do realize that you have spent the past hour and a half speaking in disjointed sentences and tears… Which happens to be quite unhealthy… Also, you've managed to eat all of Titans Tower's ice cream reserves… I did tell you turning to the cream that has been iced was a particularly regrettable idea…"

 _God, I'm such a girl… I've eaten enough ice cream to fill a small house by now… And cried enough to fill at least a few of those cartons…._

 _*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*_

"An unknown caller… I must take this, friend Wallace… I am terribly sorry, but I shall return with a solution… Have no fear, Wallace… There is nothing that trounces Starfire, the great and powerful MWHAHAHAHAHAHA"

 _Is it just me… Or was that almost evil… Creepy evil? Or has she been watching too much fantasy lately? Come to think of it… That sounds a little like Oz the Great and Powerful…_

"Uh, Star, I'd appreciate it if you didn't laugh like that ever again… Star? Starfire?"

She proceeded to say a few words and then belt out a Tamaranean folk song… Somewhere in the mess, I heard Jinx's name…

"Star… Is that Jinx?"

"Friend Jinx has requested that we forget the past and her previous life as… Jinx"

"So it's Jinx, but… not Jinx"

"Precisely, friend Wallace. I believe now we have all reached the "understanding", have we not?"

"Well, it's better than nothing, isn't it?" I asked, allowing a slight smile to appear.

 _Jinx can't want to call a Titan without a good reason, can she? Albeit I'd like it better if she called me… Starfire while I'm here is… pretty close, isn't it?_

If I heard the other half of that conversation, I might've been somewhat at peace, but hearing Starfire's end just wasn't the same… Although some of the conversation was about a breakup… Emotional trauma… Oh my God, could Jinx… have had a boyfriend? It wouldn't be _that_ unlikely… She is pretty likeable, so… 'Specially when her hair is down… I wouldn't be surprised if a few of her exes sent her roses as well…

"Friend Wallace… Jinx has invited you to the park… Do you accept? On Tamaran, this would be considered a declaration of formal war… If you require assistance, know that I would not hesitate to-"

 _Park? Invitation? What should I wear…? Does this mean… she… she_ _ **likes**_ _me? For someone who_ _ **said**_ _they never wanted to see me again… She sure isn't too keen on staying away from me, is she?_

"Star, it's a date… She probably wants to just talk… I don't think us people of Earth declare war by going to the park… Either way, I'm going to have to wear something to the park, so… You wanna ask her what the dress code happens to be?"

 _Park, eh? I wonder what she plans to do with me at the park… I should probably bring a sandwich, seeing as how it'll be close to lunchtime by then._

"She wishes that you wear… the more formal attire between the suit and the street thug uniform"

"Street thug? I thought a supervillainess like her would've preferred street thug? At least if I was dressed like that, we'd get away cleanly if we were caught?... Well… At any rate… Kid Flash has a job to do… Ask her if it's a date?"

"Uh huh… I see… Friend Jinx says that you will find this out upon arrival… I would suggest that… If you lack any formalwear, you enter friend Richard's room… And not the room of the Beast… The Beast would provide you with little aid… I believe he invented the "street thug" look"

 _So street thug means wearing casual ripped clothing everywhere… Plausible terminology, I'll give her that…_

"Thanks, Star… I'm probably going to have to talk to Robin at one point or another, so I might as well go now and borrow his clothes while I'm at it… I could run home but that seems like work… A lot of work… And I'm pretty lazy, so…"

 _All my formalwear is in the dry-cleaning shop after last week's slew of dinner parties that Uncle Barry inevitably found a reason for me to attend… Robin should still have a tie or three left lying around, right?_

"I believe that was the sarcasm, no? But I believe that your speech impediments have disappeared upon receiving friend Jinx's offer… I do hope they do not return when she is around you… That often occurs to friends Richard and Beast Boy… Although I find it adorable, I do not think either of them enjoy it very much…"

"Well, at any rate… I still have to pay a visit to a certain Titan before I get changed, so… I'll come back when I'm finished… Or if I'm dead, ask Raven why she killed me?"

I rushed out the room before Star could ask why I was going to, quite arguably, the most dangerous room in the entire tower, bar none… Not even the training facility tops a mad Raven.

 _*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*_

"Don't enter. In fact, I'd prefer it if whoever that was… just left… And _never_ came back…"

I opened the door, not even bothering to vibrate through it. I wasn't here to show off, or because I had a death wish… Though most human beings would consider being in the same room as the most powerful half-demon in existence to be a death wish in and of itself… I've been thrown into an ocean my fair share of times so far, and lived to tell the tale.

"Very witty, Rachel… Is that your default voicemail or something? Anyways, I'm not really here to chat, per se… Seeing as how you are the magically competent person I know… I'm here for a… favor"

With Raven around, always choose your words carefully… It's hard resisting the urge to say whatever comes to mind, but it'd be harder going on a date with Jinxy when I'm dead, won't it?

"You never were one to listen, were you?"

 _Please tell me she's not bringing_ _ **that**_ _up again…_

"I saved lives, Raven, multiple lives"

"By endangering others, Wally… What would've happened if your plan failed? Can you even fathom the destruction that would entail?

"… Let's let the past remain in the past, Raven… _I_ came here for the future"

 _How's about we cross that what-if bridge when we come to it, huh, Raven? When was the last time one of my outlandish ideas ended in utter failure?_

"This is about Jinx, isn't it? I keep telling you, you have no future with her. There's nothing, she's evil, you aren't, leave it at that! I can't just make her not be evil… No magic in the world is capable of that… No _good_ magic is…"

 _Well, it's not like you've never used dark magic before, now is it? Either way, Jinx has good within her… I see that, everyone would see that… The problem's just that_ _ **she**_ _doesn't see that_

"You used to think that you were evil, didn't you? That you were born to end the world? How'd that work out for ya?"

 _Maybe touching on a nerve there, but it's kinda your fault, Raven…_

"That," Raven snarled, "was different… I tried to help as much as I could. That's why I became a Titan, and that's why I'm still here, Wally… We have an obligation to protect this world… Or have you forgotten already?"

And this is where Wally West Enterprises decides to tactfully change the subject…

"Anyways… My favor," I said, handing her two bracelets, one shining scarlet crimson in the minimal light of Raven's room and the other the color of a clear morning sky in summer.

"These are… Power inhibitors… Specific power inhibitors… Your design?"

 _Of course it's my design… Do you know of any other mad boy genius within a 100-mile radius? I mean, come on, people… I replicated an experiment the Flash did so perfectly that his powers are my powers with no adult supervision… All I had were a few lab notes… Name anyone else who's that good…_

 _Or that reckless… That could've blown up in my face… Quite literally…_

"I analyzed my powers and Jinx's… I'm going to be pretty reckless, and even I couldn't predict the consequences… If worst comes to worst… You have to use them…"

"By any means, these are… Unusually strong… You don't trust yourself much, do you?"

"Ever been in love with evil, Raven? There's no telling what I'd do if this blew up in my face…"

Raven winced and seemed lost for a moment, as if deep in thought…

… _Right, the Malchior incident… Why did I- How thoughtless would I have to be to… dig up that old memory from the grave?_

"I'm sorry, Raven… I didn't mean to… pour salt on old wounds"

 _If I thought I touched on a nerve before… That was infinitesimal compared to what I just said… Score 1 for Wally West Enterprises, 0 for Wally West…_

"Malchior… used me… Malchior never loved me to begin with… But… As much as I hate to admit it, Malchior knew exactly what he was getting into… And since Jinx let you walk fairly unscathed from Rouge's clutches, I'm guessing she wasn't saving you for her own ulterior motives… Be careful, Kid Flash… Just… Don't be too reckless… The Titans need you… After all, your sandwiches are the best in Star City if they have mustard? Whatever would we do without them?"

 _Wait what? Did she just-? I'm not just good for sandwiches, you know!_

"I am not to be objectified… There's a person attached to those sandwiches, you know… A living, breathing, reckless human being!"

"Right, right… At any rate, don't you have better places to be?" She asked, tossing a book aimed at my head.

 _Raven throwing books is not something the world should take lightly… I'll take it as my cue to leave before things get worse… Even lightspeed can't escape the clutches of dark magic…_

I left the room, closing the door behind me only to find both Cyborg and Beast Boy eager with anticipation.

"I'd love to play some Final Fantasy VII today boys, but I have… places to be, things to do, you know, the usual…"

"Or is it… More than the usual? Starfire tells me you've got yourself a… date?" Beast Boy smirked, elbowing my ribcage. Cyborg's grin grew wider…

 _What have I gotten myself into this time…?_

I smiled a generic, gentlemanly smile and tipped an imaginary hat to them both.

"In that case, I wouldn't want to keep the lady waiting, now, would I? I'd best be off then, lads, pip, pip, cheerio, and all that nonsense"

Keeping a British impression in your back pocket really comes in handy from time to time… Score 1 for Uncle Barry and Kid Flash, 0 for the antagonizers. In fact, dinner parties are all the rage with one of these… I actually have a hat at those so it works a lot better then. Who knows, maybe I'll take Jinx as my date the next time I have to go and she'll be slightly impressed by my remarkable breadth of talents?

"Friend Kid Flash, it is almost the clock of 1 and you are not even dressed? I fear that being the fastest of the Titans has made you lose track of time more quickly than Beast Boy when he received the 4th Fallout, although you may have eaten less… That was not the most pleasant of days… Friend Robin's heart was nearly attacked when he saw the hospital bills, or so he said…"

 _Game time, Flash… You got one shot, don't blow it._

"I'll… go get dressed, Star… Thanks for the reminder," I said, vibrating through Robin's room…

 _Wow, the Boy Wonder may get a stroke from spending exorbitant amounts of money every now and again… But he certainly doesn't hesitate when it comes to wardrobe choices… I don't think he'll mind if I nick a few things, after all, this is full of other guys clothing, Armani's, Klein's, Hilfiger's… He can't argue with me "borrowing" what's already been borrowed, now can he?_

"So Star… Not that I'm concerned about Jinx's intentions… But she could be followed… I think it'd be a good idea if you stuck around… I know this really nice pizza place across the street from Central Park?"

"I believe the same, friend Wallace… If you were to be attacked, I do not believe we would be nearly as strong of a team without you. Thus, I have already taken the necessary precautions to protect you on your romantic endeavors"

"You didn't… Invite the entire team to keep an eye on me, did you, Star?"

"Of course not… friend Wallace? Just Robin and I will be on watch… Was that a… mistake on my part? I did not know that you wished for the privacy with friend Jinx… Perhaps you are hoping to do the sleep with her sometime soon?"

"St-St-Starfire, don't kid around like that, it isn't good for my blood pressure," I somehow replied, waving my hand around in an attempt to dismiss the idea to the darkest depths of Tartarus, mortified that she brought up _that_ up…

I mean, yeah, I've thought about it… Maybe more times than I'd like to let on… But I am a hormonal teenage guy, after all, you really can't blame me of all people… Blame my endocrine system instead?

 _Heck, I'm not even close to getting her to like me yet… So it'd probably be best if I shelved_ _ **those**_ _ideas for a later date… Maybe even never… I don't think either of us are legal either, so…_

 _God, this must be the most perfect possible weather in the most perfect season in all recorded history. Just being here with the wind in my hair… It almost makes being in a button-down shirt and tie bearable…_

"You're late," Jinx said impatiently, coming up behind me and moving to my left side… "Don't you superhero boys know it's not polite to keep a lady waiting?"

"Oh, so you've moved on from being a supervillainess now? Does this mean you're… Joining us?"

Jinx's eyes widened, realizing her mistake… As long as we're at a park and we're not going to use our powers… I might as well resume our games, no?

"I see you haven't changed a bit, have you? Doesn't surprise me at all though… in fact, I kind of expected it… Alll you hero boys are the same… You fall in love with one girl and move on within the day," she said, sighing melancholically to indicate her frustration.

"Whoever said I was over you? Whoever said they could get over you, Jinxy?"

"Several, actually… Several of them have tried to kill me in spite… I'm surprised you aren't one of them, Kid Flash"

"It's against a hero's honor to kill for vengeance… But don't call me Kid Flash… It makes me feel like I'm still on the clock. And well, superheros rarely get time off, so I'd like to treat this vacation as much like a vacation as possible"

"So… What are you suggesting I call you? Moron? Numbskull? The reason I'm not on the Brotherhood?"

"I'm shocked to hear you have such a high opinion of me, Jinxy… It's almost touching…" I said, moving my hand to my chest to better convey my heartfelt words. "But in all seriousness, Jinxy… Just… Call me Wally… Wally West"

"Wally? What kind of parents name their kid Wally?... I have to say, that explains a lot about you… Wally"

"It's actually Wallace Rudolph West… the third… But judging by your reaction to Wally, that introduction wouldn't have gone any better, would it?

"I- uh… They- they used to call me Lucky…"

"They?"

"My family… They used to call me Lucky… I don't even remember the name I was born by, but I remember being called Lucky"

"So for a girl who thinks she's bad luck… Even her family said otherwise?"

"It's a stupid nickname from people who are… dead…People that will never matter again because I'll never see them…"

"I-I'm sorry… I didn't know that… I mean, it was probably more than likely that someone like you wouldn't have… I-I'm sorry… Just… I'm sorry… I don't know how it feels… But part of what keeps us heros alive is that we have a family to come home to every night… Even if it's just the Titans… We treat each other like family. We might not be blood, but at the end of the day, we're all each other's got"

 _Family… Something Jinx… Something Lucky never really had… If she did… Would things be different? Would she… be different?_

"Your outfit is nice… But it's not exactly something I expected you'd wear… It's dark and intimidating… But not very… you…"

I looked down at the dark purple shirt, navy blue striped tie, and khaki slacks I "borrowed" from Robin's wardrobe.

"Not exactly mine, to be honest… My formalwear is in dry-cleaning after last week's slew of dinner parties, so I had to borrow Robin's… These days, I hear Batman's got a new Boy Wonder, so him and Robin don't get out as much as the Flash and I… Must be nice, being a supervillain… You all never have to go to parties, dress up nice, and make stupid polite conversation with every conceited, obstinate billionaire or billionaire's child you meet?"

"Are you including yourself in the conceited and obstinate?"

"Touché, Lucky… I guess I have to mention a slight portion of attendees are roguishly charming individuals who are basically the life of the party… Perhaps I'll drag you along sometime?"

"You never cease to surprise me, Wally… I think this may be the longest civil conversation we've ever had…The longest I've gone without hexing or cursing at you…"

 _A random comment intended to create silence… Something's on her mind, isn't it? I can feel it… It's like she's waiting for everything to fall in place before she does anything but…_

… _Is this a date? Did she bring me here just to tell me that… She doesn't not want to see me ever again? That… despite my being a hero and her being a villainess… She's willing to take a chance on me?_

"You think too much, don't you, Lucky?"

"And you don't think at all…"

"Hey, I'll have you know that plenty of thought goes into every action I take… Every last one… I don't think even Robin puts more thought into his plans with Starfire," I said, musing regarding just how close the Boy Wonder is to revealing his affections.

"Really?" she said, letting out a wry, mocking laugh. "Did you stop to think for a minute that picking me was a mistake? Did you think about what would happen if you got caught? If I was caught with you? Well?"

"Yeah, Jinxy… Yeah, I thought about all of those things… And I decided they don't matter… I don't care if this has to be a secret for a while… I don't care if I have to give up heroing here and move to some god-forsaken place in the middle of nowhere for security reasons. I don't care if they throw me in jail and incinerate the key… I don't care… And I was kinda hoping… That you felt the same way, but…"

She turned to face me for the first time and…

 _Wow… She's… Beautiful… I can't put it into words… She's breathtaking and… I don't know even my own feelings anymore… I thought I experienced them all, the butterflies, the heart-racing, the irregularity of one's cardiac muscle jumping from one's throat to one's stomach in split seconds involuntarily… But now there's this weird peace that's come over me… I'm used to the uncertainty… In fact, I think it's even how I thrive, playing off of that to throw the other person off balance and make them feel uneasy while pretending to be confident. But with Jinx… It worked initially, but Jinx is… just as rash and unforgiving as I can be… It'd be pointless to continue this game…_

 _But the look in her eyes tells me… I'm not alone in thinking that… I bet we could stand here for hours… We could stand here for hours, without a single word coming between us, like a staring contest that neither of us want to really win..._

* * *

 _Jinx_

 _I think I could be lost in those eyes for eternity and a day… It wouldn't be too impossible to just stay like this… forever, would it?_

 _*Vroom* *Vroom* *Vroom*_

I shook my head frantically as I was forcibly returned to civilization. Over my shoulder was a blonde on a motorcycle, wearing dark green everything…

 _Please don't let it be her… Please don't let it be her…. Please don't let it be-_

 _Damnit… It's definitely her…_

"So, Kid Flash… I have something you might want to take a look at," Artemis said, handing Wally a piece of paper.

"This is… an official request to come back to the team… Signed by all of us… All of them," Wally said, quickly correcting his mistake.

"Yeah… It took a bit of convincing but we decided we… want you back with us… _I_ want you back with us," Artemis asserted, taking his hand in hers.

 _Their hands are visibly touching… I can feel my eye twitching… Who does she think she is, interrupting our conversation? Can't we just be two teenagers in the park for forever and a day? And just when I was so close to just telling him, goddamnit! I asked you for a few hours of good luck, life, and you didn't deliver!_

"We talked about this, Artemis… When I decided to leave, I wasn't coming back… There'll be new heros to take my place, but they need me more here… Now more than ever, with the Brotherhood of Evil closing in"

"You wouldn't give it a second thought? If not for your teammates… then for lil' ol' me?" she asked, smiling seductively.

 _Oh, two can play at that game, you know! You'll soon see I'm no stranger to the art of feminine wiles, Ms. Artemis…_

One of my hands clenched itself into a fist, while the free hand intertwined with his left.

"You two think maybe you could continue this conversation in a little bit, say after we're done here? It is terribly rude to interrupt a date, after all…" I said, coolly, I hope, with every ounce of restraint I possessed keeping me from having purple bolts blast her well into next week.

"Oh, is that what you were doing? So, Wally, is this the latest? I must say, I thought a guy like you had better taste… I've never heard of any gentlemen that prefer… pink"

 _Well then, I guess you don't think Wally's much of a gentleman? Maybe you're the one that doesn't deserve someone… like him?_

"I think Wally's old enough to make his own decisions, Artemis… That's probably one of the reasons you two broke up in the first place, isn't it? Maybe he left so he could act more independently of you… and your team?"

 _But what I really want to know is… What's going through Wally's head right now? The girl he likes and his ex are at odds and he hasn't taken a side… If anything, he'd probably take Artemis's… But he hasn't said anything to favor either of us… Does he plan to just… let us duke it out and he'll go out with the victor?_

"Well, well, well, Wally, you sure know how to pick 'em… She must be quite a handful? Sure you don't want to come back home with me?"

 _Oh my God, I am not fighting over something so trivial as a_ _ **boy**_ _… I am not in goddamn 7_ _th_ _grade to do something as goddamn stupid as fight over a boy… But then again, Kid Flash isn't just any boy…_

 _Sure, he's insufferable at times… At all times, and sure, he might be slightly sketchy at times when he breaks into your room and watches you sleep… Which he'll never admit to but I know he did… But the way I find roses in places only I would look is… kinda cute and his hair does this awkward thing where it sticks up it random places and his eyes are impossibly easy to get lost in until you find yourself and I think I could fondle his earlobes for hours on end, I bet they're irresistibly soft and..._

 _I might as well surrender him to Artemis right now… While I've been over here daydreaming, she's probably got a master plan all worked out… So much for luck, eh?_

"I'm not turning around, Artemis. Not for you, not for any of them. Sure, they were good friends, and we made quite a few memories together… But Jump City needs another hero… The Titans are overwhelmed with the amount of crime in the city, and I don't think they'd get past the Brotherhood without me. The Justice League is busy, and… And I even like it here… I like the people, I like the atmosphere… I like the freedom to do whatever I want to do, whenever I feel like it"

"So what? You think we couldn't give you that? The team's willing to compromise, Wally… If Jump City needs a hero, we can find someone to do the job… Just not you… The team needs the fastest boy alive back… We all do"

"I made up my mind when I left, Artemis… If all of you are ever caught in a jam, I'll offer my assistance… temporarily… But the team will have to live on without me… A team needs to survive changing times, changing people… I like the weather here too, Artemis. Jump City's a nice place, you know? But most of all, I like Lucky. And until Lucky has a reason to leave, I'm not going anywhere"

"You're refusing to come back to the greatest young superhero team in recorded history for a girl? You're ditching _us_ for a girl?"

"It's not just about her, Artemis… It's more than that… The Titans are a family, and I… guess I'm a part of that now… In their darkest hour, a family helps each other. I can't just abandon them because my former team wants me back. I'm sorry, Artemis… But… I'm staying… With Lucky"

He turned to me as Artemis got back on her motorcycle, muttering something about how morons will never change as Wally's hand gave mine a squeeze and the faintest of arose to his lips…

"So… I still like you… A lot… Anyways, where were we?" he asks coyly, turning to face me, brushing a stray hair out of my face.

"The court had yet to find its verdict on you breaking into my room," I said, tracing my index finger in a circle on his chest before lightly attempting to push him back.

"Oh, God, Jinx… Don't tell me you're still hung up about that… It was like… forever ago, right?"

"If by "forever ago", you meant this morning, then yes, forever ago"

 _Nice to see he really hasn't changed… Even though I crushed his hopes and dreams, he's already back on his feet… Perhaps because he knows?_

"If we're going to play on the justice system's field… I think it's only fair that you tell me how you feel, isn't it?"

"Oh, but I already have... Or did you forget? It was only a few short hours ago…"

 _Even when we both kinda know, toying with him is still fun… it's only fair, after all, he did tell me without me asking him, so I should get to tell him at my convenience, right?_

"I hardly think you would be here… at a park… with me… Jealous enough that Artemis was basically holding my hand that you decided to hold the other… By the way, she's gone, but you still haven't let go," He said, his trademark smirk persisting through the sunlight.

"You know, for someone who claims he doesn't think at all… You sure do think quite a bit, don't you?"

"Maybe, but I have my moments when my brain is devoid of all logical thought… I scarcely think you're capable of such a thing though…"

"You don't think I can be utterly irrational? You think it's out of character for me to just do something on a whim?"

"Or maybe… It is your character… But you keep trying not to do that? It's like you're holding something back, Lucky… Something you shouldn't have to hold back?"

"But what if we screw up? What if we just act on impulse and grow up with a billion regrets?"

"Wouldn't you rather regret what you did than regret what you could've done?" he asked, the words flowing from his mouth like the water from the creek I used to play in when I was young… The creek Mammoth used to dispose of crayon wrappers in…

 _Sometimes, the best way of thought… Is no thought at all?_

I let go of his hand and moved it up to his cheek, the hand formerly on his chest securing a firm hold upon his tie and drawing him closer.

 _Any time you wanna stop, Wally… You are the fastest boy alive; it sure as hell shouldn't be hard for you to back away from a lovestruck pink-haired villainess?_

"So whatever happened to all the roses I gave you?..."

 _Leave it to Wally to act completely normal in a situation like this one. Sometimes, I have to wonder if he's been out into the field and ate too many mushrooms…_

"They're… in my closet… Neatly arranged… Of course, if you tell anyone I said that, I'll have to kill you, so…" I said, feeling a slight flush of heat as I momentarily glanced away before, jerking his tie and pulling him closer.

 _This'll serve him right for interrupting my fun, won't it?_

Slowly but surely, our lips met and it was as if the floodgates had opened for every ounce of emotion I felt towards him. Pain, rage, passion, I forced all of it into the warlike kiss between us. I placed my hand on his back, pushing him closer to me until our bodies meshed, almost perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle that never knew the other existed came together. Like this… like this was meant to be.

I leaned into the kiss a bit more and he moved a hand, running his fingers through my hair and down to my neck, scattering a tingling feeling throughout my body. I stood up further on my tiptoes and let him stand as tall as he usually is…

Big mistake, Jinx, big mistake…

 _Oh, fuck..._

He broke the kiss as he came to the realization that I was going to fall… On top of him, and we tumbled into the grass lightly as if we were just mere feathers and not humans.

 _Wally's speed must have let him react fast enough to-_

"See, sometimes you do stuff without thinking and then you end up on the ground… Understand my point, Wally?"

"Yeah, yeah… But if there's a pretty girl on top of you when that happens-"

He tilted his head up just enough so that his lips would reach mine and we kissed again, but this time, he deepened it, even daring to nibble on my lower lip.

 _God, that felt…okay… Even pleasant… I could get used to this… Although we are discovering weaknesses even I didn't know I had…_

I parted my lips and gave in, knowing full well Wally wasn't about to stop with a nibble.

 _*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*_

I heard a damnit as Wally broke the kiss and took out his communicator…

"What could it possibly be this time," he said, sighing and wriggling out from underneath me…

"Wally, great to see you smiling again! So, buddy, chum, ol' pal… Beast Boy and I… have come up with the latest and greatest sensation that's sweeping the nation… A whole new way to play… Stankball! We call it… Mega-Ultra Extreme Stankball… And well, we were kinda hoping to have the world premiere match on Titans Tower's football field tonight, so… It wouldn't be much of a match without our reigning MVP, now would it?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, smiled, and said, "I'd love to, Cyborg… I was actually planning on heading back to the Tower after my walk, so I'll see you in a few, kay?"

"Cyborg has the best timing, doesn't he, Wally?" I asked him coyly, grinning to remind him of the turn this evening could've taken.

 _Well, another day… Another time… I'm just happy we got to spend this much time together without anything blowing up in our faces… Maybe after all of this is said and done, we can be normal together. Or at least as normal as a superhero and a supervillainess get?_

"He knew damn well I had plans tonight… The two even tried to tease me a little 'bout it… Well, if Cyborg's going to ruin my fun… Lucky, the next time you see the Titans… Give him a little something for me, will ya?" he asked, the same familiar hopeful, playful look revisiting his face.

I leaned in for a quick peck on the cheek. "Don't think you'll escape the justice system _that_ easily, Wally… I'm not finished with you just yet…"

"So, what are the charges? I don't think Cy will miss me just yet?..."

"Originally, it was you breaking and entering… But now, the allegations against you also amount to crimes of the heart… Wallace Rudolph West III, you are hereby accused of being an insufferable heroic moron who functions as an automatic rose-dispenser and takes up an exorbitant amount of space in a girl's mind, not even stopping to think if she wants to fall head over heels in love with you"

"Well, in that case, I'd have to say… I'm guilty as charged, aren't I, Lucky?" he asked coquettishly, leaning in to steal one last moment.

As soon as our lips touched, they pulled apart, and when I opened my eyes, all I saw was a purple blur of light. Taking a deep breath in, the aroma of a rose was fresh in my mind, and glancing down at my hands, I discovered a bouquet of freshly-picked roses. Reaching in, I took out a small piece of paper.

" _So, Lucky… Even though you never said it was… I hope you enjoyed our first date! Sorry that Cyborg hasn't changed… You should see Raven and Beast Boy some days… Anyways… So, does this mean… You wouldn't mind seeing me again?"_

 _Don't push your luck, Wally…_

 _But even if_ _ **I**_ _said no… I think my heart would say yes…_

 _Wallace Rudolph West III… The first boy who's more than just a boy… The first one I've fought with someone else over… And the first one to relentlessly infuriate the hell outta me while making me fall further and further… Might as well think over a cup of tea..._

 _*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*_

"Oh, what is it now, Gizmo… I'm kinda busy right now… So…"

"I thought you'd be ecstatic to know that… The Brotherhood of Evil has requested _our_ help on a mission… We start tomorrow! So, I hope you're up for some good old-fashioned revenge on a certain yellow speedster? Gizmo, out!"

I clutched the bouquet of roses…

 _The Brotherhood of Evil finally calls us… No doubt, to make me finish what I started… The only question is… Do I want that? If I take this opportunity by the reins… Kid Flash… Wally… and I will be at odds again… I expected no less… But if the Brotherhood's involved… The last time, he almost didn't escape… I almost got what I wanted… And this time… I guess I'll know sooner rather than later if Wally was right or not about me having some good inside me… About me being better than all of… this…_

* * *

I remember I said next week...I was close if you want to be technical... But this chapter was almost double last chapter in word count and only somewhat cringe-worthy so...

Anyways, reviews/follows/favorites are appreciated! So is constructive criticism... Even flames, to an extent... I promise a virtual frozen frosted-with-sprinkles sugar cookie to everyone?

Oh, and if anyone knows how to decently write a kissing scene or knows of a story with one and wants to tell me... Please?

~Lefauxlucifer


	3. Titan

Disclaimer: I don't own this show or any of the characters... It's late, so I'm skipping my usual disclaimer, not like anyone reads that, amirite?

* * *

Chapter 3- Titan

 _Jinx_

 _Either way, I'm going to have to go back home eventually, right? And then, they're all going to ask me for what we're going to do. They'd expect me to take the Brotherhood up on their offer but…_

 _I'm still unsure of where my own loyalties lie… Can a person be loyal to another? Do we have to choose sides or can we just choose people?_

 _It seems… that your whole life can change… In a single day… Just last night, I was sure of what I wanted from my life, but now…_

 _I guess there are things no one's meant to know…_

As I was walking home, I decided to take the scenic route back, although it would be easier for me to get caught. Wally would've said this was a dangerous move, but it's not like normal cops on patrol could lay a finger on a sorceress, now, could they?

I began to hum to myself, a random song that I don't think I could name the lyrics to for the life of me, the kind that wanders in and roots itself into the deepest recesses of your mind… The kind of tune that gives off a familiar, even nostalgic air that envelopes, suffocates you, but you give into it willingly…

It's the kind that makes you remember things that you don't want to, but differently than you once did, the kind of song that grasps the fondest memories you have of the past and knits them into a finely woven blanket, erasing the negativity within you.

 _It seems everything's different all of a sudden… That anything I think should happen is thrown off balance and my world's become unpredictable… Nothing really makes that much sense anymore but at the same time, not understanding it all is…okay…_

 _Is this what love feels like? Such a… intangible feeling that I've never… really experienced? Where the world is in turmoil but you feel like it's… all going to be alright? Where you almost blindly believe that it has to turn out all right? That even someone like me could-"_

"Mister, my brother.. They, they-" someone cried as they were cast aside by a man in a navy blue outfit. As he turned around, I could see a metallic object gleaming in the sun.

 _A badge, eh? So he's a…_

"Listen up, missy, if your brother's missing, you're going to have to file a report down at the station before we can do anything about it"

"But-but I already told you, mister! He's not missing at all… He's over in that alleyway fighting-"

"Well, when they're through with him, he will be," the officer said, chuckling a little, "Now get outta my way, I don't have time to deal with pathetic twerps like you"

 _Something… about this seems… eerily familiar…_

" _Someone, anyone...Please, save them… My family… They're still… still in the… the fire…Please, someone help"_

 _But no one… No one could…_

 _Well, technically speaking, this_ _ **is**_ _H.I.V.E territory… any and all infringements on our rights have to be attended to, and who better to take care of it than me?_

The little girl started bawling, furiously wiping away the tears.

 _Even when she's been pushed out of the way… Even when she's told she doesn't matter in this world…_

 _Well, this one ain't my problem to deal with so…_

I felt a tug on my leg and looked down to find the little girl with the same entrancing hope in her eyes Wally usually brings out to get me into doing something crazy.

 _I'm going to regret it, aren't I? But it can't hurt…_

"All right, little girl, I'll bite. Why ya crying?"

"They took my brothers into… into that alleyway and then… If you can get someone to help him…They can't just-"

 _Not that I'm interested but right now, this seems like a lot more fun than heading back to the tower… I might as well take a peek…_

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there… Who exactly is _they_?"

"They said they were called the…Aryan Brotherhood. There were like 8 of them and they said they wanted to give my brother a warning to send to his friends…"

 _Is that a gang or something? Never heard of 'em… Probably why they would do something stupid like this when the H.I.V.E. has a claim here… So I'll teach 'em a thig or two about rules.._

"Oh, I'll give 'em a warning, all right… Let's go, punk… Clock's a-tickin'… If you wanna see your brother alive, then… We should probably get going"

"Are you sure, miss? I mean, there are going to be a lot of them and just you… I don't think you'd end up any better than my-"

"I have a black belt in 4 forms of martial arts… I'll be fine… And so will your brother… The only ones you should be worried about… are those gang members," I said, my best Kid Flash smile

 _I had to use a marker to color one of those belts black, but that's beside the point…_

We walked into the alley to find swords drawn, blood splattered on grey walls, and a circle of men half the size of Mammoth.

"This… is why we have training sessions, isn't it?"

I aimed a single hex at one of the gang member's feet and he toppled backwards.

 _The bigger they are, the harder they fall, right? If it was Mammoth… We'd have nothing short of a mini-earthquake on our hands…_

"Well, looky here… A girly wants to play with the big boys, eh? You even know who we are?" the madman who I presumed led these buffoons said.

"I've heard you're called something like the Aryan Brotherhood, whatever that is…"

The leader appeared shocked, I wonder why?... Maybe they are a pretty big name… For non-superpowered folk. Of course, I don't notice any one of them, a few of us could take them out faster than it'd take Kid Flash to find me.

"We… are the most feared gang in all of Jump City… Soon, the world! How- how can you not- This insolence shall not be tolerated! Men-"

 _Oh, boy, this should be good… It's been a while since I've had some fun on my hands._

"Stay back, kid, don't want you getting any blood on your hands, kay?" I said, pushing the girl behind me.

The first attacker came at me, almost too easily, and knocking a single blade out of his hand was easy as pie. Catching a sword, however, was not that easy, and the wrong end brushed against my fingertips…

Don't get me wrong, I can stand blood. Blood is fine. I've even spilt my fair share of it, but that'd be other people's blood, not mine, so… My own blood is something different. Pink shot out of my fingers uncontrollably, and I could see the fear in their eyes. I managed to knock down my fair share of them, and the rest… ran like cowards… Well, all should fear the might of Jinx, leader of the H.I.V.E. Five.

I went over to the boy and waited, perhaps rather impatiently for him to get up. The girl tried to give him a hand but even though the boy seemed a bit scrawny, she couldn't manage to help much. I waited until he was back on my feet to ask him a few questions. After all, being a supervillainess doesn't mean you automatically lose your curiousity.

As soon as the boy was back on his feet, he picked up the small girl and hugged her, ruffling her hair affectionately. Putting her down, a sterner look came to his face.

"Mira, I told you to run as far as you could and not come back. You can't just not listen to me anymore… Someone isn't always going to be around to save us, kay? Sometimes, you have to run… And not try to play the hero… If it wasn't for Miss Pink over here, we'd be goners, Mira… Dead like mom and dad, and you and I both know they left us here cuz we were meant for more…"

"Miss Pink? That's not a very sophisticated way to refer to your savior. I'd prefer more… exalting terminology"

"Sorry, I was trying to figure out what you'd call yourself, being a hero and all, you wouldn't just give out your secret identity… So I figured since you shoot pink lightning and your costume is kinda pink…"

I shot him a well-received death glare.

"Sorry, if it was up to my guessing skills, the world might be doomed. Anyways… thank you for saving us. Thank you for keeping Mira safe"

"So usually, members of a gang attack you because you have something valuable, right? Gold, jewels, cash, diamonds? Drugs? I could go for a shot of coke myself, ya know?" I joked, knowing that there was more to this guy than met the eye.

"Um, please don't be mad that I didn't help you… I'm sorry to make you go to all this trouble, miss… But I had to protect these from any harm at all costs," the boy said, holding out a bouquet of roses, the likes of which I'd never seen before.

"What- what are those? I've never seen anything like them before… Thought I'd gotten every single kind of rose, but…"

 _I'd be jealous of the girl who's getting those… Must be pretty special to risk your life for her… Stupid, foolish, lovesick, normal boy… I don't see why Kid Flash would be doing something like this all day, every day…_

"These are a rarer variety of roses, the Juliet rose, and… Well, like you said, they are fairly expensive… luckily, I know a garden and one of my friends lets me pick out a few things now and then if I want… Mira wanted to put these in our house so I picked out a few… Who knew that the Aryan Brotherhood would be around to see?"

 _Not lovesick… just stupid, but not like it'll do him much better…_

"Mira?... Is that… the name of your… little sister?"

"Yeah, I told her to run away as fast as she could when they started to attack me… Apparently she ran into you…"

"Next time you plan on doing something like that… Don't. You're needlessly reckless, aren't you? You knew that those roses were expensive, and you took them anyways… Just to make your sister happy? You can't just- you shouldn't cast away a life like that, you know? You told your sister that you were meant for more than that, didn't you?"

"Well, you see… There wouldn't be any point in not… Since I was 8… The only thing I've wanted is to see Mira happy. In a way, that's all I have left, so you see, if I was going to die, I'd rather die knowing I tried to make her smile again… That's what life means to me now"

 _It's just… just not right for someone to give up on their life like that… It's just not- Why do I care? Why should I bother if someone else has a death wish? That's not my problem, is it? It's theirs… It's the job of the heros to do this kind of stuff… Not mine…_

"Robin. Batman. Kid Flash. Superman. Green Arrow… They're heros… Heros of this world who believe this world has something to protect. Some of theme are here, in Jump City, and they waste their lives fighting because they think you're worth something… They think you're someone worth protecting. So for you to die… Here, after all they've done to make sure you don't… is disgracing everything they stand for, got it? Besides, how much do you think Mira would like it if you died? If you really want to make her happy… Stay alive… Make something of yourself. Just- just think about it, kay?"

"I… never got your name… Or rather, what you want to be called… the name's Solomon, by the way... Solomon Drake, pleasure to make your acquaintance"

 _My name? Jinx? Lucky? What- what should I call myself?_

"Well… I'm not exactly fond of telling you that… If you must, just... call me Miss Pink… You get special privileges this once"

He nodded before opening his mouth. "You don't include yourself with them, do you? I've never met a hero so… not heroic. Usually, they show up and disappear, but you've stuck around far longer…"

"I-I… don't know… I just… don't know," I said softly to myself. "I'm not really a hero, so I can fight for whatever, do whatever I want, be whoever I am... In fact, it wouldn't be against my nature to take those roses from you, so you should probably get going"

"Nah, you don't seem like someone who'd do that to someone… Taking away someone's happiness doesn't seem like you. So… You're a- an anti-hero? That doesn't believe in the old heroism? do you fight for something else, then? Something greater than the people? Vengeance, perhaps?"

"I fight for… I-I just don't know, okay? Christ, I save one person and this happens… Remind me never to listen to Kid Flash again"

"Kid Flash is giving _you_ advice? Tell him I said hi, kay? I bet he misses me… But, after all, you did save me? Someone who you didn't even know the name of… Yet you came here, so… I don't think you'd do that to a guy like me, would you? You might not be a hero, but you… aren't a villain, that much I know"

"You're halfway insane, you know that? One day, you're going to end up in a heap of trouble…"

"But then, the heros of Jump City will save me, right? Just like you did?" he asked, plucking a rose from the bouquet and offering it to me... reminiscent of the way Wally would…

"I-I… Thank you… It's- it's beautiful"

"You're beautiful… But I can tell you get that one a lot. You're no stranger to roses, are you? Flash'sprobably gotten to her already," Solomon muttered, leaving me to wonder just what Kid Flash's role here was after exchanging a few more pleasantries with the two.

As I entered a tower, a thought occurred to me, a terrible realization, like coming out of the shower to find yourself left with no hair gel.

I had just completed an act of good… I… saved someone… Probably two people…. with no other real, true intention than saving someone… who I had no connection to whatsoever… that had little personal gain for me… And I think… that I might have enjoyed it.

 _Oh my god… Am I becoming a hero? Has Kid Flash… infected me with some sort of experimental serum that makes me do these things? Will I ever lust after power again? How will I go on like this?_

As the elevator dinged and the doors opened, I found the usual mess throughout the H.I.V.E's living room.

 _Mammoth's wardrobe in this pile… Videogames in this one… Half-finished cereal bags here… And assorted junk food in this pile…._

 _Just like every other goddamn day in this hellhouse. Same old, same old… I guess it's kind of comforting to know… nothing's changed here…_

 _ **But isn't that why it is a hellhouse to you? That it'll never change? That you'll never be anything more than a petty thief incapable of besting a single superhero?**_

 _Oh, after all this time, you finally decide to show back up? Do you realize how much I could've used you in the past few hours? Do you? You better have a good reason for being here now… Otherwise I'll hex you six ways to Sunday!_

 _ **Well… Yes… and no… You're kind of genuinely confused right now… And I know little more than you do… For example, did you know that Gizmo likes to eat blue crayons?**_

 _Oh, god, don't get me started on that again… Apparently the yellow ones were… Wait… You should know that I know that… I was thinking about that not too long ago… So… why would you ask?_

 _ **Please, just because I'm here all the time doesn't mean I'm paying that much attention to you… You didn't think the world revolves around you or something?**_

 _Well… You are_ _ **my**_ _conscience, so…?_

 _ **Yeah, yeah, even a conscience needs some rest every now and then… You lead a busy life. I can't be expected to have answers all the time, you know?**_

 _So you're kinda useless right now? Just like you've always been?_

 _ **I brought you and Kid Flash together, didn't I? I managed something of that magnitude, didn't I… Lucky?**_

 _ **And that had to be like an 11 on the impossible scale, so… I think you should retract that statement…**_

 _You did that? But… We did that… That was all me… and him… Well, either way, what good did that do? You got rid of one problem… But that just opened up another…_

 _ **So…are you going to head up to your room? I've heard there are some… interesting things that may await you…**_

 _How would you know that anyways? If you're stuck with me all day long, and you haven't been able to go anywhere… How even?_

 _ **Sure, sure, call my bluff… I'm just saying, you basically went on a date with Kid Flash today so he's probably going to visit more often because of it… I wouldn't be surprised if-**_

I walked up the stairs to my room and opened the door to find a figure lying casually on my bed, rifling through my sketchbook.

 _ **If he was in your room admiring unicorns was what I was going to say, but this works too, I guess…**_

 _Kid Flash_

"Wally! What in goddamn hell are you doing here? This is _my_ room! Do I have to remind you what happened this morning?

I blushed a little, fully aware of my transgression upon the sacred rules instituted by the H.I.V.E.

 _You think she'd understand if I said I'm in the wrong room? It's believable, right?_

… _Well, at the very least, Beast Boy would fall for it? But I doubt Raven would need a reason for Beast Boy to let her in his bedroom…_

"Well… I just… wanted to check up on you, make sure you got home safely? Something like that?"

"Nice try… What are you really here for?"

 _Well… I didn't come here to tell her what I'm doing here… Wait just one second… What's that in her hand?..._

"Wait, is that a Juliet? How did you get your hands on a-?"

 _Whoever gave her that Juliet is beyond dead… I may be a hero, but I've met a few villains along the way, made a few connections here and there…_

"Don't change the subject with me, Kid Flash… What in the name of Valhalla are you doing here!"

"Do I have competition? If they managed to get their hands on a Juliet… Well, in any case, I'm taking this rose to be a formal declaration of war, milady. Fear not, for I shall fight bravely for your hand!"

I took her hand, knelt and mock-kissed it, then got up, leaving a weird tingling feeling in my lips.

"You're jealous, aren't you? It's not nice to be jealous of others… Isn't that one of the seven deadly sins or something?"

"Lust, Pride, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth, and Greed… Envy's kinda different than jealousy, but it's still no better to harbor. But I'm not jealous. After all, we aren't together or anything… There's no reason to be jealous about something so trivial such as-" he said, pausing to catch a breath as his face grew visibly hotter, "some guy giving you a rose… Now, if you'll excuse me, I feel like going for a little run to burn off a few calories… I had too much pasta for lunch today"

I left a tremendous gust of wind and a sonic boom a few seconds later…

 _Some might say that running away from a bad situation is cowardly… But it's kinda part of my job…_

"Here. I feel like if he can get you a single Juliet, then I can do you one better," Wally said, handing me a bouquet of Juliet roses in every color of the rainbow.

"You really are jealous, aren't you?"

"Just… let's not talk about it, kay? Isn't there anything else you want to know?"

So you really are… If it wasn't so unlike you… I'd say it's almost… cute"

At her saying "cute", I felt my face redden and I had to pull my mask off, complaining about how hot her room was and asking if I could get Cyborg to fix her air-conditioning in a hopeful-but-futile effort to brush it off.

"So you still haven't told me why you're here in the first place…"

"I… really… don't have a reason, Lucky… Well, I kinda came here to ask if you'd even consider… well, becoming a hero… Or at least, not a villain? There's still a lot about… _us…_ that we have to figure out but… There was an attack by the Brotherhood on Titans Tower today… We're pretty much on full alert… I may or may not be risking my hero-ing career by being here, but I'm not too sure Robin would let me see you if the Brotherhood does… keep attacking us like this…"

 _Jinx_

I looked at the rose Solomon gave me, clutching it tightly enough to let one of its thorns prick me ever so slightly.

 _Mira… Solomon… What would've become of them if I wasn't there to help out…? What if there are more Miras and Solomons in Jump City?_

 _You can't save them all, Jinx… In fact, you aren't supposed to be saving any of them… You're supposed to be the one doing that to them, not the one getting them out of it. You're a villain, through and through._

" _Someone isn't always going to be around to save us"_

 _What if you save them today, so that they die tomorrow? What does that do for the world? For you? If they just die after you save them? Wouldn't it be better to save them again?_

 _Jinx, the Brotherhood… is at your doorstep, humbly requesting your assistance on a mission. Everything you've ever wanted is at your fingertips… Are you really just going to- to throw it all away after you've worked your entire life for it?_

"And why do you think I'd care about risk? I'm a villain, remember? Being bad is part of who I am. I'm bad luck, Wally… You knew that… And I told you, I can't change that, it's part of me too. It's just- I-I'm always going to be evil. It's who I've always been, and it's who I'm always going to be"

"Ever done something nice for someone, Lucky? Remember how it feels?"

I clasped the rose tighter. "You really don't know when to stop talking, do you? Do I have to shut you up?"

"That rose wasn't just cuz a guy liked you, wasn't it...? You've saved someone, haven't you? The rose was your… reward"

"What? Where in hell do you get that one from? Is there like a machine in the sky that gives you your famous theories and I'm just not aware of it?"

"I can see it in your eyes… It's weird… You were just thinking of it… I could see the pain and sorrow that they felt… And how happy they were when you helped them out… How happy you were when you helped them out"

"Seriously, Kid Flash, just stop doing what you're doing before we enter into this place, this dark abyss of no return where you think I'm going to go on some soul-searching journey that leads to me-"

"That flower… The Juliet reminds you of them, doesn't it? Don't think I'm blind to people… I'm a hero, remember? I know what it feels like to save someone… All too well, really… I've seen countless people save someone else, and I know that look…So before you start denying it again… You've saved someone, haven't you? You tried to help?"

"… So what if I did?"

"And did you enjoy it?"

"No. No, I did not, Kid Flash… And that will be the end of this discussion. Period. We are done here," I said, placing a finger on his chest and tracing light circles.

"You know why I'm a hero, Lucky? You know why?"

 _God, he's persistent… This hero thing must mean something to him, huh?_

"No, and I don't really care to know either… Knowing you, you're telling me anyways, right?"

He looked out the window and took the deepest breath I've ever seen anyone take. I sat down on my bed.

 _This… is going to be a long day, isn't it?_

"I'm a hero because I have powers and there's a lot of dangerous people in the world… As long as there are people willing to hurt others, I want to protect them… Because-"

"Because what? Because you can't just let the world fall into shambles like everyone else? Face it, Flash, some people aren't worth protecting… Some of them don't care for protection… Some of them are willing to throw away their lives…"

"Because, Lucky, if you would be so kind enough as to let me finish… I was once a poor, little boy, without powers about to die on the streets until superheros saved me. Such is the case with many people… You know, the world doesn't have to fall into shambles… The world is a beautiful place, and I'd like it to stay that way for now"

"Of course, you've seen it all, you could probably run around the world in the blink of an eye. But… I'm not a hero, Wally. I tried it, didn't go so well. I'm not cut out for the hero life… By the way, Solomon sends his regards…"

"Of all the people to save… You just had to pick him… I'd've chosen the other path, but that's a me thing… Knowing him, he probably wasn't your typical rescuee, right?"

"If your typical rescuee cares about being rescued in the first place, then, nope, he isn't your typical rescuee"

"Yeah, kid wants to change the world someday… says he's gonna grow up to be a scientist and give people powers so that people can protect themselves… Crazy idiot, right? Being that idealistic, that naïve, who on earth would do that?"

"He's gotten crazier since the last time you met, I'd be willing to bet good money on that… If I was a gambler… At any rate, you came here to get me to be a hero, and it didn't work… Are we done here now?"

"I'm just saying, don't you think people like that deserve protection? You probably met his little sister, Mira… What about her? Are they doomed to die?"

"That seems like a you-problem, not a me-problem. And because it's a you-problem, I'm going to let you take care of it, kay?"

"You really seem to think that being a villain is what you're good at, huh? Even if it's what you've trained for your whole life… Didn't playing the hero work out better for you in the end?"

I got off my bed and walked over to where he was, using my hand to shove him out of the way and look out over the windowsill.

"You see those stars, Kid Flash… All those stars in the sky? Those are the good things. But not everyone gets a star… Some of us have to live with the darkness in between. Some of us just aren't good people… You can't change that… You can't make something shine out of darkness. It's- It's just not possible, you can't, I can't, Solomon can't, Mira can't, Gizmo can't, no one can… no one can," I repeated softly to myself.

"Maybe not alone, Jinxy… Maybe not alone… Maybe none of us can make that happen by ourselves, but I'm willing to give it a shot with you?"

"You're impossible, Wally… You think that everyone has some good in them but some people just don't. I'm evil, you're not… And that's just how it's going to be…"

"Not all heros started off heros, you know…"

"What are you getting at, Wally? What's the point in trying to get me to change?"

"I'm just saying, there are a lot of us that started out as failed heros… Don't know if Starfire told you, but she almost leveled Jump City the first time she came here… Raven let the world get destroyed once. Robin's had his fair share of failures, and Beast Boy… never once finished a mission without getting reprimanded when he was on the Doom Patrol. We're not perfect, we're far from it… I'm far from it… But we learned to put the past behind us and, well… now we're here, saving people, so…"

"But you all started out on the good side… And you never changed… You never had to change. Change is terrible… It fills my pockets with pennies of uncertainty"

"I'm a change, aren't I? How'd that one turn out?"

"I'm… still not quite sure on that one… Don't force my judgement on it if you know what's good for you…"

"So you took a chance on me… Why not take a chance on being a hero? Full-time?"

"Taking a chance on you was… not at all like taking a chance on this… That was safe… This is… Even if I go with you, what's the chance that the Titans will still hate me? What about the H.I.V.E… Where would I go? It's not like I'd be welcomed into Titans Tower, given a communicator, and we'd throw a party or something?"

"You wanna find out?"

 _Do I? Do I want to see what he's planned?_

I let the rose fall from my hands onto the floor, and it made no audible sound on the carpet.

"You really believe in me, huh?"

"I believe that I became a superhero because I saw the good in others and I wanted to protect that… I believe that there's good in you… I believe that you're worth believing in… I believe a lot of things, okay, don't judge me for it!"

"Would you believe that I'm willing to give this a shot?"

"Jinx, are you?- You're serious, right? This- this isn't something to joke about, this is- this is life, Jinx…"

"Shhh," I said, placing a finger on his lips and bringing him closer to me. "Just savor the moment while it lasts," I whispered, pulling him in for a kiss.

I shoved him onto the bed, hopefully hard enough to leave a mark. "Alright, moment's over, let's get packing!"

"You don't mean… we're going to sneak out in the middle of the night or anything, do you?"

"For someone who really wanted this to happen, you don't seem too enthused about the prospect…"

"I'm just saying, doing this is kind of… cowardly, running away in the dead of the night, leaving a note, not saying a proper goodbye…"

"You want me to say goodbye? I'll tell them _that_ on the battlefield. Now… I think you should get moving before I change my mind about this whole being-a-hero thing"

 _Kid Flash_

I grabbed a few boxes lying around and drove everything I could into them, unable to contain myself. Rushing Jinx over to ye ol' tower, I thought I'd burst with excitement.

 _Do you know how long I've waited for this day? 126, not that I've been counting_ _or anything, why would anyone do that?_

 _Still, I can't believe she finally said yes… I never thought she would… At least, not right now, but if I kept asking her over and over again over the course of a few years, she might've but… I never expected now…_

 _The world works in mysterious ways… Having friends like Solomon Drake sure comes in handy sometimes, I have to say…_

"Aight, Jinxy, we're here… Behold, Titans Tower, in all of its grandeur!"

"Is that a tear, Kid Flash? Are you really happy enough to cry?" she asked, playfully punching me in the arm.

"I'd say you punch like a girl… But I'd rather live through today so… I'll just ring the doorbell"

"You think they're even awake right now? It's like 1 AM, Wally… Don't superheros need their rest?"

"It's a Saturday night, Lucky… They've probably just gotten home from… clubbing, partying, things that I'm not invited to…" I grimly said, pouting.

"Don't worry 'bout it… I've been to tons of places uninvited… Sure, they get kinda mad, but it's not like they can kick you out of the place without it coming down on them after a few well-placed hexes"

The door opened and I was greeted by a familiar metallic figure.

"Wally, nice to see ya man! Wait, what's _she_ doing here? Do you know what's going to happen if Robin finds out about this? He'll have my head on a silver platter… not that I can't just build a new one, but I really like this head… I've grown attached to it," Cyborg said in mock agony.

"If I find out about what," a cool voice asked from behind him.

 _Oh God, Lord have mercy on our souls…_

"Nothing. Nothing at all, dear leader, nothing… What were you expecting to find out about? No new reports on Slade or anything to report about. Nope, nothing here, nothing at all. Certainly no H.I.V.E. members"

"So you… managed to get her… to be a hero? That's… That's almost impressive… Perhaps Batman seeing something in you wasn't just luck after all…" Robin said.

"I'll show her to her room… Lemme just grab a few more boxes and-"

"What are you all doing awake at this ungodly hour? Never mind, I don't care, does anyone have a trash can? Oh, hi, Jinx, how are you?" a stumbling Raven asked me.

"Is she… Is she all right? I don't think that she should be-" I began.

"Raven can't hold her alcohol… Yet Beast Boy here takes her out drinking every single week…" Robin said.

"Uh, guys, why are we not trying to get rid of the intruder? She's right there and Raven just walks past her like nothing's wrong?" Cyborg asked, still clueless as to what had occurred in the past few hours.

"I believe that now would be the time to inform friend Cyborg of the proceedings… It would be quite unkind to not tell him," the Tamaranean said, yawning and placing an arm around Robin.

"Cy, Jinx is moving in with us… She's going to be a Titan from now on," Beast Boy said, "Aren't you excited? We're getting a new team member!"

"Yeah, but… Let's show her to her room, I guess letting her stay here wouldn't kill us…" Cyborg reluctantly agreed.

I pushed a few buttons, waved my wand, and presto-change-o, Jinx's door opened, and her room's interior decorator was someone I'd hire.

"Wow, it's… I- I don't know what to say, this is… Isn't it a bit much, Wally… I mean, where did you even find this many?" she asked, pointing to the Juliet roses that adorned nearly every inch of her room.

"Well, aside from being a genius and a superhero, I'm also a gardener… My family thinks that having a huge garden is what cultured people would do with their money, and someone's got to look after it… That someone happens to be me, and as payment… Well… Guess now you know how I always have a rose on me"

"Always?" she asked, surprised that I'd think that far ahead.

I reached behind her ear and pulled out a pink rose.

"More often than not," I said, feeling a cold metallic hand forcefully push me into Jinx.

We went crashing down on her bed and our lips met for an instant before we pulled apart, both of us turning around and beginning to deny everything to the rest of the Titans.

"Get a room, you two!" Cyborg said, closing the door on us and leaving with his teammates.

"So that was… interesting," Jinx said, swallowing.

"Wait for it… If I can find it in this pile of junk…The tour ain't over just yet, Lucky," I said, pulling out a redesigned yellow circular device.

"Is that?-"

"Yup… It's a communicator… From this moment forth, you're officially… A Titan. How does it feel?"

"It's nice, I guess… It's overwhelming- It's…I'm speechless," she said, taking a rose of the wall to smell it.

"You know, I smell every bit as well as a rose… After all, I had to be in here arranging all of those," I said, pouting.

"Suprisingly, you aren't wrong," Jinx admitted, leaning in closer. "If H.I.V.E. Tower smelled as nice as this room…"

"Well… You're here now, aren't you? And we are here… Don't think any of the other Titans would come in here… Kinda have the place to ourselves, don't we?..."

"So what now? You gonna break curfew and be a bad boy?"

"I'll have you know I can be just as bad as you are… I can totally break curfew… I've already called every adult I know and told them where I am, so we're fine…"

"Woah, lemme call the cops, we got a real rebel up in here, thinks he's gonna start a revolution, bomb a few countries, invoke terror in the hearts of his enemies"

A silence enveloped the room and neither of us were really sure what to say. It was one of those times when no one had to say anything to be understood. Like we could read minds and know what the other was thinking, a sort of consciousness that transcended verbal communications.

So I leaned in and kissed her, quickly enough that our lips brushed against each other for merely an instant.

She scrunched her nose. "Wally, just cuz I like you doesn't mean you have free right to go around kissing me! There are procedures to be followed, permission to be obtained… At least wait until I kiss you back next time…"

 _Permission, eh?_

"I had permission… from Ingrid Bergman…"

"What? Is that one of your exes or something? I can't be bothered with the likes of them. A girl's got better things in life to do than worry about that…"

 _Exes? Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha ha hahaha. Ha… Let's not go there tonight… Or ever… A jealous girl might very well be the cause for WWIII_

"You've never heard, "A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous"? Seriously? What kind of parents do you have?".

 _I'd like to meet these people… I probably will, eventually… I'm going to see Jinx's parents sometime… She's got to want to take me home… I mean, I'm practically everything a girl's parents could ask for… I'm good-looking, I have an excellent sense of humor, I can cook, I'm responsible, trustworthy, I don't drink… cept for the occasional glass of Sprite…_

"Wally?"

"Yeah, Lucky?"

"Some of us don't get parents… Some of us don't have families to go home to…"

"I-I'm sorry… I didn't know. I- Well… For me… Even when I don't see my family… The Titans are family to me…"

 _Well, there goes that idea…Guess my parents will just have to be impressed by her._

"I wish I thought half as highly of the H.I.V.E. as you thought of the Titans…"

"Lucky?"

"Yeah, Wally?"

"I wanted to be the first to say it, so… Welcome… Welcome home, Lucky… To a family that'll annoy the hell outta you, but one that'll be here when you need us," I said, wrapping my arms around her in a hug I'm sure Starfire would be proud of.

 _Welcome home, Lucky… To a place that doesn't care who you used to be… Just who you are now…_

"You're an idiot, you know that? An idiot that believes in everyone, everything, doesn't care who it is… An idiot that thinks the world can be saved even when it's beyond all hope… An idiot… Who believes in me, even, the greatest lost cause of them all. You're an idiot, Wally, and one day, you're going to see that you can't protect everyone," Jinx began, bursting into tears, one emerging as another streamed down, flowing in succession.

"Jinx, what are you?-"

 _Are you enrolled in a psychology course or anything? This has 1_ _st_ _-year psych student written all over it…_

"One day, you're going to learn that- that people don't just- hope is sometimes the most painful thing to have… Giving someone hope, deciding to love them, show them the light, make them believe… Just to have their dreams crushed… I'd rather never have an ice cream cone than get one and have it taken from me…"

 _Mmmmm… Ice cream… Jinx… What if Jinx's lips tasted like ice cream?_

"Wally, why are you licking your lips? Stop it! Wally? Wally? It's freaking me the hell out! Wally?"

"Assuming that I'm the ice cream in that metaphor… I'm not going anywhere… You know, the Green Lantern Corps comprises of powerful people… But the Blue Lantern Corps is much, much stronger… Cuz it draws its power from hope, not willpower. On the other hand, hope doesn't work at all without willpower…"

"Where is this going exactly, Flash?"

"I'm the hopeful… You're the willpower… It works, right?"

"You haven't been listening to a word I've said, have you?"

"Jinx… Where is all of this coming from anyways… That's what's on my mind right now… Is there some deep dark abyss within you?"

"I'm just… worried… That this isn't going to work out well… I've never been a hero before today, and I don't know if I'll survive the ordeal…"

"I've never been inside a girl's bedroom before today, but I've been surviving so far… If she's nice enough, she'll let me stay through the night?"

"Fine, since you did decorate the room, I guess you can sleep here tonight. But on the floor, and don't get any ideas," she said, waving her finger and tsk-ing.

I pulled a pillow out of the closet and made myself at home. Well, as home as I could be inside a pink bedroom covered in roses on a Plexiglas floor.

 _I should've gotten her carpet flooring or something mildly squishy… this is like the worst sleeping material in the history of sleeping materials. Hey, maybe if I plead enough…_

"God, the floor is so cold and hard and please just let me in?" I asked, sobbing and tugging at the bedsheets.

"Wally, you're a grown man… Kinda… Well, you're like around 20-something, right? You can legally drink alcohol… You can withstand a Plexiglas floor for one night… After all, you were the one that wanted to stay here…"

"But-but-but this face? Can you resist the face?" I asked, drawing tear lines with my fingers while pretending to be a puppy dog.

"Wally, you're a goddamn idiot"

"And…?"

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she said, rolling her eyes. "If you turn the lights out, I'll-"

I sped to the door, hit the switch hard enough to break it, and raced back.

"You were saying?"

"You know, I still can't believe I'm doing this. I- Just get in already, before I change my mind…"

"Wow, you're… surprisingly warm… Like a radiator or something. If magic ever doesn't work for ya, you could take lessons from Hotspot and-"

"I said you could sleep in the bed… When did I say you could cling to me like I'm superglue?"

I pretended to be asleep as best I could, lying motionless on the bed, praying to every deity I knew that she didn't call my bluff.

"Wally, you're a goddamn idiot," she whispered softly into my ear, the stray breeze tickling every crevice and inciting laughter I couldn't possibly hope to stifle.

 _God, please don't notice, please don't notice, please don't…_

"And that's one of the reasons why you're a goddamn idiot… But… sometimes, you even seem to have a few brains. Trying to change someone like me says otherwise, but… You're still an idiot… And you're my idiot. Don't stop believing, I guess, is what I'm trying to say…"

 _Her idiot, huh? Well… I'm almost okay with that… That's… better than a week ago…_

"So… Does this mean you… love me?," I asked, making kissing noises.

"I thought you were smart enough to figure that one out on your own?"

"Can you just answer the-"

"Do you talk just to hear the sound of your own voice?"

"Well, it _is_ my gift to the world?"

"Hate to break it to ya, but the world… wants to return this gift"

"Sorry, no refunds or exchanges, only store credit"

"It _had_ to be this one, didn't it? There are only a few billion men in this world… And I had to pick this one?"

"So I get no answer?"

"Never stop asking questions, Wally… Never stop beliving… It'll serve an idiot like you well, Wally... It'll serve you well..."

"You know, Jinx, it's going to take a lot more than whatever the future has to make me stop believing…" I found her hand amongst the mess of sheets and others. "I love you, and you're someone worth believing in… Someone worth the world to me…I love you, Jinx… So thanks for doing this for me"

"Idiot. Like I'd ever do this cuz of you? Maybe my plan all along was to be a superhero after the dashing, handsome Kid Flash falls for me? But… As much as I hate to say it… I love you too," she said, ruffling my hair.

"Dashing? Handsome?"

"I know what I said, Wally. I think you've used that on yourself more than once"

"Well, in that case, I guess I have no choice… I'm guilty as charged"

"One more word out of you, and the court will sentence you to the floor, Kid Flash"

"So, does this mean I get a goodnight kiss?"

 _Might as well push things, right?_

I never got a straight answer to that question, but the warmth of her lips against mine seemed to me like answer enough.

* * *

So that's the end... For those of you that stuck around, I hope that was a decent end and that you enjoyed!... Reviews are appreciated although I've run out of virtual things to offer... I need to make a trip to the virtual confectionary but I haven't had time lately and they're closed now, sadly... I hope y'all will review anyways?

~lefauxlucifer


End file.
